1'IBR.ARY 

OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY 
OF    ILLINOIS 


G30.7 


AGRICULTURE 


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UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 

Agricultural  Experiment  Station 


BULLETIN  No.  310 


SOYBEAN  PRODUCTION  IN  ILLINOIS 


BY  J.  C.  HACKLEMAN,  O.  H.  SEARS,  AND  W.  L.  BURLISON 


URBANA,  ILLINOIS,  JUNE,  1928 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

SEEDING  PRACTICES  IX  ILLINOIS 467 

SOME  REASONS  FOR  POPULARITY  OF  THE  SOYBEAN  IN  ILL- 
INOIS   469 

A  Valuable  Nitrogenous  Feed 469 

Illinois  Experiments  Demonstrate  Feeding  Value 471 

A  Satisfactory  Substitute  for  Oats  and  a  Good  Emergency  Hay  Crop  472 

Adapted  to  Practically  All  Illinois  Soils 473 

Has  Merit  as  a  Soil-Builder 475 

Fits  Well  Into  Illinois  Rotations 476 

ESSENTIAL  CULTURAL  PRACTICES 478 

A  Good  Seed  Bed 478 

Thoro   Inoculation 479 

Seed  Soon  After  Corn  Planting 482 

Give  Careful  Attention  to  Cultivation 485 

HARVESTING  AND  THRESHING  SOYBEANS 489 

Harvesting  the  Hay  Crop 489 

Harvesting  for  Seed 489 

Threshing  the  Seed  Crop 490 

Special  Machines  for  Harvesting  and  Threshing 491 

Handling  Threshed  Soybeans 493 

SOYBEANS  AND  CORN  AS  COMPANION  CROPS 493 

SOYBEAN  VARIETY  STUDIES  IN  ILLINOIS 498 

Performance  of  Varieties  in  Northern  Illinois. 499 

Performance  of  Varieties  in  Central  Illinois.  /! 502 

Differences  Among  and  Within  Soybean  Varieties 514 

Description  of  Varieties 516 

COMMERCIAL  UTILIZATION  OF  THE  SOYBEAN  CROP 526 

Soybean  Cake  One  of  the  Most  Valuable  Products 527 

Market  for  Soybean  Oil  Increasing 528 

Soybean  Products  as  Human  Food 52S 

LITERATURE  CITED..  531 


SOYBEAN  PRODUCTION  IN  ILLINOIS 

By  J.   C.  HACKLEMAN,  Chief  in  Crops  Extension;    O.  H.  SEARS,  Assistant  Chief  in  Soil  Biology; 
W.  L.  BCRLISON,  Chief  in  Crop  Production  and  Head  of  Department  of  Agronomy" 

During  the  past  ten  years  soybeans  have  found  a  significant  place 
in  corn-belt  farming.  They  have  spread  in  acreage  and  popularity 
more  rapidly  than  has  any  other  field  crop  in  Illinois  in  recent  years. 
This  statement  is  borne  out  by  the  fact  that  in  1914  there  were  har- 
vested in  the  state,  in  one  form  or  another,  about  2,000  acres.  Thirteen 
years  later,  in  1927,  the  acreage  had  jumped  to  776,000.b  The  crop  has 
so  many  points  of  economic  importance  in  its  favor  that  it  will  doubt- 
less continue  to  be  extensively  grown. 

With  hundreds  of  farmers  annually  trying  out  soybeans  for  the 
first  time,  with  the  increased  interest  in  the  crop  resulting  from  con- 
tinued economic  difficulties  with  the  oat  crop,  and  the  threatened  in- 
vasion of  the  corn  borer,  problems  regarding  the  soybean  are  con- 
stantly coming  up  with  renewed  vigor.  Farmers  wish  to  know  the 
various  uses  to  which  the  new  crop  can  be  put,  its  adaptation  to  their 
sections  of  the  state,  and  particularly  urgent  is  the  demand  for  recom- 
mendations regarding  suitable  varieties  and  the  details  of  cultural 
practices. 

This  bulletin  is  therefore  issued  principally  to  report  the  results  of 
variety  trials  which  have  been  under  way  on  the  University  South 
Farm  at  Urbana  for  about  twenty  years  and  on  the  northern  Illinois 
experiment  field  at  DeKalb  for  five  years.  The  most  recent  informa- 
tion available  on  other  points  of  interest  is  also  included  in  order  that 
farmers  and  others  may  have  a  good  basis  for  arriving  at  a  correct 
evaluation  of  the  crop. 


SEEDING  PRACTICES  IN  ILLINOIS 

Two  different  planting  methods  are  followed  in  Illinois:  the  beans 
are  grown  alone  for  seed  or  hay  or  they  are  grown  with  corn  or  some 
other  crop  to  be  put  into  the  silo  or  to  be  pastured  off.  The  acreage 
in  the  state,  as  reported  by  the  Bureau  of  Agricultural  Economics  of 
the  U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture,  is  given  separately  for  these  two 
kinds  of  production.  A  study  of  the  map  on  the  next  page  shows  the 
different  farm  uses  of  the  crop  in  the  various  sections  of  the  state. 

The  practice  of  seeding  soybeans  with  corn  predominates  in  the 
dairy  section  of  northern  Illinois,  in  the  cattle  feeding  section  of 


•The  authors  are  indebted  to  Mr.  C.  L.  Meharry,  of  Attica,  Indiana,  and  Mr.  J.  C.  Allen, 
of  West  Lafayette,  for  the  use  of  Figs.  4,  5,  7,  8,  9,  10,  and  12  in  the  following  pages. 

bThe  area  planted  for  seed  and  hay  was  419,000  acres;  the  area  planted  with  other  crops 
was  357,000  acres. 

467 


468 


BULLETIN  No.  310 


[June, 


northern  and  northwestern  Illinois,  and  in  the  hog  feeding  area  of  west- 
central  Illinois.  In  the  west-southwestern  area,  where  considerable 
dairying  is  practiced,  the  acreage  planted  for  hay  and  seed  is  less  than 


\S&.5*GRfU.ONE 
\ 80.3*THRESHED  X 


61086  ACRES 
37.03!  GMLDNE 

E5.95STHRESHE 


176585  RCRES 
38.6XSR.fU.ONE 
13.3%  THRESH  ED 


ILLINOIS 

SOYBEfiN    PRODUCTION 


•40-60  %  OF  TOTftt 
ACREACE  GROWN  ALONE 


60-UO*  OF  TOTAL 
«CREWi£  fiROWN  flLONE 


FIG.  1. — DISTRIBUTION  OF  SOYBEANS  IN  ILLINOIS  1923  TO  1926 
INCLUSIVE 


the  acreage  planted  to  a  mixture  of  soybeans  and  corn,  the  proportion 
being  three  acres  in  corn  to  two  grown  alone. 

The  growing  of  soybeans  alone  predominates  in  the  east-central, 
in  the  east-southeastern,  in  the  southeastern,  and  in  the  southwestern 
areas.  In  the  east-central  area  the  crop  is  grown  primarily  for  seed, 
approximately  80  percent  of  the  acreage  grown  alone  being  threshed. 
In  the  east-southeast  area  it  is  used  primarily  for  hay,  only  30  per- 
cent of  the  acreage  grown  alone  being  threshed.  In  the  southeast  area 


1928}  SOYBEAN  PRODUCTION  IN  ILLINOIS  469 

only  27  percent  of  the  acreage  grown  alone  is  threshed.  In  the  south- 
west area  60  percent  of  the  acreage  is  grown  alone  and  of  this  44  per- 
cent is  threshed. 

These  figures  indicate  that  the  practice  of  growing  soybeans  alone 
as  one  of  the  major  rotation  crops  is  now,  as  it  probably  will  continue 
to  be,  confined  largely  to  those  areas  where  the  oat  crop  has  long  been 
considered  a  cash  grain.  On  the  light-colored  soils  of  southern  Illinois, 
where  applications  of  -  limestone  in  relatively  large  quantities  are  es- 
sential for  clover  and  alfalfa  production,  the  acid  tolerance  of  the  soy- 
bean will  probably  tend  to  encourage  the  culture  of  this  crop.  While 
seed  production  in  those  regions  will  doubtless  increase  in  importance, 
the  recognized  necessity  for  a  leguminous  roughage  will  probably  cause 
the  crop  to  remain  chiefly  a  hay  crop.  In  the  northern,  northwestern, 
and  western  areas  of  the  state,  where  oats  and  barley  are  relatively 
better  producers  and  where  these  grains  can  be  utilized  on  the  farms, 
and  where  clovers  and  alfalfa  can  be  grown  with  less  outlay  in  soil 
improvement,  the  soybean  will  probably  continue  to  be  considered  as 
an  emergency  hay  crop  to  be  used  in  seasons  when  other  legume  hays 
fail. 

Soybean  seed  production  in  Illinois  will  probably  continue  to  be 
concentrated  in  the  grain-farming  areas  of  the  central,  east-central, 
and  east  south-central  sections  of  the  state,  where  the  crop  is  used 
largely  as  a  substitute  for  oats,  altho  there  undoubtedly  will  be  some 
increase  in  the  northern  regions  in  the  proportion  of  the  crop  grown 
for  seed  as  higher  yielding  early  varieties  are  developed  and  as  more 
satisfactory  harvesting  machinery  becomes  generally  available. 

SOME  REASONS  FOR  POPULARITY  OF  THE  SOYBEAN 

IN  ILLINOIS 

The  soybean  has  at  least  six  valuable  characteristics  which  have 
influenced  farmers  of  this  state  to  turn  to  it  during  recent  years. 
Without  reference  to  their  relative  importance,  the  advantages  may  be 
enumerated  as  follows: 

It  is  the  richest  protein-producing  grain  on  the  Illinois  farm. 

It  is  the  richest  nitrogenous  roughage  adapted  to  most  farms. 

It  is  adapted  to  many  uses  and  relished  by  most  livestock. 

If  properly  handled  it  furnishes  a  satisfactory  substitute  for  oats  in  the 

cropping  system  and  is  a  good  emergency  hay  crop. 
It  is  adapted  to  a  wide  range  of  soil  types. 
Being  a  legume,  it  has  merit  as  a  soil  builder  if  used  properly. 
It  ranks  well  as  a  cash  crop. 
It  fits  well  into  Illinois  rotations. 

A  Valuable  Nitrogenous  Feed 

The  soybean  has  a  distinct  advantage  over  most  legumes  in  that 
it  may  be  planted  with  corn  to  be  used  either  for  pasture  or  for  silage. 


470  BULLETIN  No.  310  [June, 

In  case  the  corn  and  beans  are  cut  for  silage,  that  portion  of  the  plants 
left  in  the  field  can  be  pastured,  the  stock  picking  up  the  shattered 
seed.  This  seed  will  function  as  a  protein  supplement,  replacing  ex- 
pensive purchased  feeds.  Unfortunately  far  too  few  farmers  have 
found  it  possible  to  purchase  the  commercial  nitrogenous  concentrate 
necessary  to  balance  the  farm-grown  cereals.  The  soybean,  therefore, 
must  be  considered,  not  solely  as  a  substitute  for  some  nitrogenous 
concentrate,  but  in  reality  as  a  home-grown  nitrogenous  concentrate 
which  can  be  made  available  on  farms  where  little  or  no  such  con- 
centrate is  being  used. 

Soybean  seed  has  664  pounds  of  digestible  protein  per  ton,8*  276 
pounds  more  than  cowpeas,  its  closest  Illinois  competitor.  This  is  more 
than  three  times  the  protein  content  of  any  other  commonly  grown 
Illinois  farm  grain  and  more  than  four  times  the  protein  content  of 
corn.  This  would  indicate  that  soybeans  can  well  be  utilized  in  the 
corn  belt  to  supplement  the  corn  ration. 

Investigators  are  practically  unanimous  in  their  conclusions  that 
it  is  feasible  to  substitute  soybean  seed  for  at  least  a  portion  of  the 
nitrogenous  concentrate  in  feeding  cattle,  hogs,  and  sheep.  Among 
the  common  nitrogenous  feeds  soybeans  rank  next  to  cottonseed  meal 
in  digestible  protein.  They  have  a  protein  content  equal  to  linseed 
oil  meal  and  in  quality  of  protein  are  said  to  be  superior  because  they 
contain  more  of  the  amino  acids  which  are  necessary  for  growth.  To 
be  sure,  neither  soybeans  nor  soybean  meal  is  equal  to  tankage  in 
swine  feeding  trials.  It  is  possible,  however,  to  use  either  the  seed  or 
the  meal  as  a  substitute  for  a  portion  of  the  tankage  requirement. 

The  soybean  shows  up  well  as  a  hay  crop.  It  is  probably  for  this 
use  more  than  for  any  other  that  it  is  appreciated.  It  is  capable  of 
producing  satisfactory  yields  of  a  highly  nitrogenous  hay  which  is  the 
equal,  pound  for  pound  of  feed  consumed,  of  alfalfa  hay. 

Feeding  trials  at  the  Illinois,12' 4>  "*  Indiana,6' 13*  Iowa,5>  15*  Mary- 
land/6* Mississippi,19*  Missouri,26*  Ohio,7*  and  South  Dakota21*  Agri- 
cultural Experiment  Stations  bear  out  the  above  statements  concerning 
the  value  of  the  soybean,  whether  in  the  form  of  seed  or  hay,  as  a 
nitrogenous  feed.  In  many  cases  the  value  per  unit  of  feed  consumed 
is  so  nearly  the  same  as  that  of  the  concentrate  to  which  it  is  compared 
that  the  difference  cannot  be  said  to  be  significant.  Another  point 
which  the  farmer  cannot  afford  to  overlook  is  the  fact  that  the  soy- 
bean, when  properly  used,  is  almost  uniformly  good  for  all  classes  of 
livestock. 

In  practically  all  feeding  experiments  slightly  more  soybean  hay 
is  required  per  unit  of  growth  than  is  required  in  the  case  of  alfalfa. 
There  is  somewhat  more  wastage  in  feeding  soybean  hay  because  the 
coarser  portions  of  the  plant  are  often  refused  by  animals.  Consider- 
able variation  in  quality  has  been  noted  in  different  lots  of  soybean 


1928}  SOYBEAN  PRODUCTION  IN  ILLINOIS  471 

hay.    This  suggests  the  possibility  of  improving  the  quality  of  soybean 
hay  and  thus  increasing  its  feeding  value. 

Illinois  Experiments  Demonstrate  Feeding  Value 

For  Horses. — Soybean  hay  has  been  utilized  in  numerous  feeding 
trials  of  the  Department  of  Animal  Husbandry  of  the  Illinois  Station. 
In  one  experiment4*  it  was  fed  to  purebred  Percheron  fillies  from 
weanlings  until  they  were  two  years  old.  During  this  period  it  was 
the  sole  leguminous  roughage  in  the  winter  ration.  The  fillies  made  a 
thrifty  growth  and  came  thru  the  winter  in  good  condition  on  an 
average  feed  cost  of  14  cents  a  day. 

For  Sheep. — In  sheep  feeding12*  also  soybean  hay  has  demon- 
strated its  value.  Lambs  from  western  ewes  fed  soybean  hay  were  as 
strong  as  those  from  ewes  fed  alfalfa,  altho  the  amount  of  hay  re- 
quired was  a  little  greater  in  the  case  of  the  soybeans.  When  com- 
pared with  alfalfa  hay  in  a  ration  for  fattening  lambs,  soybean  hay 
proved  satisfactory.  Kammlade  and  Mackey  state:  "In  these  ex- 
periments with  western  lambs,  with  corn  at  65  cents  a  bushel  and 
alfalfa  at  $20  a  ton,  soybean  hay  had  a  value  of  approximately  $17  a 
ton  for  fattening  lambs.  With  the  same  prices  for  corn  and -alfalfa 
hay  and  $50  a  ton  for  the  nitrogenous  supplements,  soybean  straw  for 
fattening  lambs  was  worth  about  $5  a  ton." 

For  Hogs. — In  a  ration  for  fattening  hogs  soybean  oil  meal,  when 
supplemented  with  a  simple  mineral  mixture11*  consisting  of  equal 
parts,  by  weight,  of  ground  limestone,  steamed  bone  meal,  and  com- 
mon salt,  has  proved  of  value  as  a  nitrogenous  concentrate  replacing 
tankage.  Recent  investigations  have  shown  that  the  feeding  of  whole 
or  ground  beans,  in  amounts  sufficient  to  balance  the  corn,  will  result 
in  soft  pork.  The  use  of  soybean  meal  from  which  most  of  the  oil 
has  been  removed  does  away  largely  with  this  danger. 

For  Dairy  Cows. — That  soybean  hay  which  contains  well-de- 
veloped beans  is  an  excellent  and  very  palatable  feed  for  dairy  cows 
has  been  shown  by  investigations  of  the  Department  of  Dairy  Hus- 
bandry at  this  Station.  In  milk-production  studies  it  was  found  to  be 
equivalent  to  alfalfa  hay  of  like  quality  when  considered  on  the  basis 
of  the  hay  actually  consumed.  The  wastage  in  the  soybean  hay 
amounted  to  10  to  15  percent  and  consisted  of  the  coarse  stems,  while 
the  alfalfa  hay  was  practically  all  consumed. 

Ground  soybeans  and  linseed  oil  meal  proved  equally  valuable, 
pound  for  pound,  as  protein  supplements  for  milk  production,  but  they 
did  not  prove  so  palatable  as  soybean  oil  meal.  Soybean  oil  meal  and 
cottonseed  meal  of  approximately  the  same  protein  content  were  prac- 
tically equal  in  value  for  this  purpose.  The  Ohio  Experiment  Sta- 
tion20* has  likewise  found  soybean  oil  meal  and  linseed  oil  meal  prac- 


472 


BULLETIN  No.  310 


[June, 


tically  equal  in  the  rations  of  dairy  cows,  the  soybean  oil  meal  show- 
ing 2  percent  better  milk  production  than  the  linseed  oil  meal. 

A  Satisfactory  Substitute  for  Oats  and  a  Good 
Emergency  Hay  Crop 

When  attempting  to  determine  the  proper  place  for  soybeans  on 
an  Illinois  farm,  the  crop  should  not  be  considered  as  a  grain  crop 
competing  with  corn.  Soybeans  appear  more  nearly  in  their  proper 
place  in  Illinois  when  considered  as  a  substitute  for  oats  or  as  an 
emergency  hay  crop.  From  this  point  of  view  the  crop  has  a  future 
on  most  Illinois  farms.  Those  who  are  seeking  a  crop  that  will  permit 
them  to  make  some  changes  in  their  farming  system  are  giving  con- 
sideration to  the  soybean. 

There  is  probably  no  crop  on  the  farms  of  the  state  that  responds 
more  readily  to  good  cultural  practices  or  is  capable  of  failing  more 
completely  because  of  lack  of  good  care  than  the  soybean.  Single 
crop  yields  of  30  to  35  bushels  an  acre  and  five-year  average  yields  of 
22  to  25  bushels  are  not  unusual  on  farms  where  the  grower  is  familiar 
with  the  art  of  producing  the  crop. 

The  average  yield  of  67  seed  crops  from  22  varieties  tested  in  the 
South-Central  rotation  on  the  University  South  Farm  in  the  past  five 
years  (1922-1926)  was  23.7  bushels,  and  this  in  a  rotation  that  is  rec- 
ognized as  a  poor  one,  consisting  of  corn,  corn,  corn,  and  soybeans. 
The  poorest  average  yield  for  a  period  of  at  least  three  years  for 
any  single  variety  was  14.9  bushels,  while  the  best  was  28.6  bushels. 
Such  differences  in  yield  emphasize  the  fact  that  choice  of  a  variety 
is  a  matter  in  which  the  person  not  familiar  with  soybean  types  and 
varieties  may  easily  make  a  costly  error.  It  is  reasonable  to  assume, 
however,  that  any  farmer  growing  beans  on  fairly  fertile  soil,  who 
chooses  one  of  the  better  varieties  and  observes  recommended  cultural 
practices,  should  produce,  on  the  average,  20  to  25  bushels  of  seed  to 
the  acre. 

It  will  be  noted  from  Table  1  that  the  ten-year  average  yield  of 
beans — 22  bushels — represents  42  percent  of  the  corn  yield — 52 
bushels— for  the  same  period.  These  data  are  taken  from  the  South- 
Central  rotation  of  the  University  South  Farm  at  Urbana  and  are  the 

TABLE  1. — COMPARISON  FOR  A  TEN- YEAR  PERIOD  OF  THE  YIELDS  OF  CORN  AND 

SOYBEANS  ON  THE  STANDARD  PLOTS  IN  THE  SOUTH-CENTRAL 

ROTATION,  UNIVERSITY  SOUTH  FARM,  URBANA 

(Bushels  per  acre) 


1917 

1918 

1919 

1920 

1921 

1922 

1923 

1924 

1925 

1926 

Aver. 

Corn  

66.0 

48.6 

54.0 

42.3 

51.1 

45.6 

53.9 

55.4 

51.2 

51.9 

52 

17.7 

16.1 

20.1 

19.0 

32.1 

19.3 

13.4 

16.6 

32.2 

32.7 

22 

Percent  the  soybean 
yield  was  of  corn  . 

26.8 

33.1 

37.2 

44.9 

62.8 

42.3 

24.9 

30.0 

62.9 

63.0 

42 

1928]  SOYBEAN  PRODUCTION  IN  ILLINOIS  473 

average  yields  secured  on  the  standard  plots  for  the  first-,  second-,  and 
third-year  crops  of  corn  and  the  average  for  the  same  plots  when 
producing  soybeans. 

The  average  November  and  December  farm  prices  paid  Illinois 
growers25*  for  their  soybeans  for  the  five-year  period  1921-1925  were 
$1.48  and  $1.90  a  bushel  respectively.  Commercial  beans  have  sold  as 
low  as  90  cents  a  bushel  at  harvest  time  and  as  high  as  $1.65  as  the 
available  seed  became  scarce.  During  each  of  the  past  three  seasons 
(1925,  1926,  1927)  soybean  mills  have  paid  the  producer  approxi- 
mately $1.25  a  bushel  f.o.b.  the  mill.  If  the  farmer  is  able  to  produce 
only  20  bushels  of  beans  to  the  acre  and  sells  them  at  average  com- 
mercial bean  prices,  he  is  probably  just  about  meeting  costs  of  pro- 
duction, assuming  a  liberal  allowance  for  the  value  of  the  roughage. 
On  the  other  hand,  if  he  markets  a  portion  of  his  crop  as  seed  at  the 
average  price  received  by  farmers  during  the  past  five  years  for  beans 
of  seed  quality,  he  will  make  a  profit. 

Adapted  to  Practically  All  Illinois  Soils 

The  soybean  has  a  wider  adaptation  than  any  of  the  other  le- 
gumes commonly  grown  on  Illinois  farms.  With  the  single  exception 
of  the  cowpea,  the  soybean  is  more  acid-resistant  than  any  other  le- 
gume now  grown  extensively  as  a  field  crop  in  this  state.  It  is  better 
adapted  to  the  climatic  conditions  of  northern  and  north-central  Illi- 
nois than  the  cowpea.  Like  other  crops,  it  attains  its  best  develop- 
ment on  the  more  fertile  soils,  altho  in  favorable  seasons  it  yields  well 
on  the  less  productive  lands. 

Compare  Favorably  With  Cowpeas  on  Poorer  Soils. — Comparative 
yields  of  soybeans  and  cowpeas  grown  on  two  soil  experiment  fields 
typical  of  the  relatively  poor  soil  of  the  regions  in  which  they  are 
located  are  given  in  Table  2.  They  represent  soil  types  to  which  the 
cowpea  has  generally  been  considered  more  nearly  adapted  than  the 
soybean. 

Altho  these  data  are  not  sufficient  to  warrant  a  final  statement, 
they  indicate  that  the  soybean  crop  Compares  favorably  with  the  cow- 
pea  on  both  treated  and  untreated  lands  in  the  two  cowpea-growing 
sections  of  the  state  where  these  two  soil  types  are  located. 

Produce  Best  on  Corn  Soils. — Production  figures  for  the  experi- 
mental fields  located  on  the  dark-colored  silt  loam  soils  show  small 
differences  in  favor  of  soil  treatment.  Fertilized  plots  on  eleven  fields, 
including  40  hay  crops,  gave  an  average  yield  only  slightly  above  the 
untreated  plots.  Similar  results  were  found  for  the  seed  production  of 
55  crops  produced  on  seven  fields. 

Since  results  secured  with  the  other  crops  grown  on  these  fields 
indicate  that  the  two  problems  of  first  importance  are  the  supplying 
of  limestone  and  nitrogen,  it  is  not  surprising  that  soil  treatment  has 


474 


BULLETIN  No.  310 


[June, 


had  but  little  influence  on  the  yields  of  well-inoculated  soybeans,  for 
the  average  lime  requirement  of  the  dark-colored  silt  loam  soils  is 
not  sufficiently  high  to  depress  appreciably  the  growth  of  the  soybean 
crop  and  a  supply  of  available  nitrogen  is  accessible  thru  the  action 
of  the  nitrogen- fixing  bacteria  growing  in  the  nodules  on  the  roots  of 
the  plants.  Investigations  have  shown  that  soybeans  are  more  acid- 
resistant  than  red  clover  and  for  that  reason  they  will  grow  better  than 
clover  on  soils  that  are  moderately  acid.  On  such  soils  soybeans  will 


TABLE  2. — COMPARATIVE  YIELDS  OF  COWPEAS  AND  SOYBEANS  ON  THE  UNIVERSITY 

EXPERIMENT  FIELDS  AT  UNIONVILLE  AND  OQUAWKA  IN  THE 

EXTREME  SOUTHERN  AND  WESTERN  PARTS  OF  ILLINOIS 


Soil 

Crop 

Number 
of  crops 

Soil  treatment 

0 

MLP 

RLP 

Light-colored  silt 
loam  (Unionville) 

Cowpea  .  .  . 
Soybean.  .  . 

5 
5 

tons 
.57 
.43 

tons 
1.18 
1.39 

bu. 
4.9 
6.0 

Dune  Sand 
(Oquawka) 

Cowpea.  .  . 
Soybean.  .  . 

3 
3 

.74 
.55 

.83 

.77 

4.5 
4.2 

The  soil  treatment  in  this  and  following  tables  is  designated  by  the  following 
symbols: 

0  =  None 

R  =  Residues  (residues  from  crops,  and  legumes  used  as  green  manure) 
M  =  Manure 

MP  =  Manure  and  rock  phosphate 
RP  =  Residues  and  rock  phosphate 
ML  =  Manure  and  limestone 
RL  =  Residues  and  limestone 
MLP  =  Manure,  limestone,  and  rock  phosphate 
RLP  =  Residues,  limestone,  and  rock  phosphate 

RLPK  =  Residues,  limestone,  rock  phosphate,  and  potassium  (usually  in  the  form 
of  kainit) 


seldom  show  any  response  to  applications  of  limestone,  whereas  red 
clover  will  be  markedly  improved.  A  comparison  of  the  two  crops  is 
given  in  Table  3. 

However,  even  tho  the  soybean  is  one  of  the  acid-resistant  le- 
gumes, it  responds  readily  to  an  application  of  limestone  when  growing 
on  distinctly  sour  soils.  Light-colored  soils,  which  in  Illinois  are  gen- 
erally more  acid  than  dark  soils,  have  shown  marked  improvement  in 
the  growing  of  the  soybean  after  limestone  applications  were  made. 
The  influence  of  the  limestone  in  increasing  the  general  productive 
power  of  the  soil  may,  of  course,  be  an  important  reason  why  the 
beans  do  better  on  the  limed  plots,  and  in  addition,  as  will  be  shown 
later,  the  limestone  affects  favorably  the  life  of  the  bacteria  which 
live  in  the  nodules  on  the  roots  of  the  soybean. 


SOYBEAN  PRODUCTION  IN  ILLINOIS  475 

A  similar  beneficial  influence  of  limestone  upon  the  yields  of  the 
soybean  has  been  found  on  the  dune  sand  soil  on  the  Oquawka  soil 
experiment  field,  as  shown  in  Table  2. 

It  is  of  interest  to  note  that  on  the  treated  land  the  relative  dif- 
ference between  the  light-  and  dark-colored  soils  of  the  state  is  prac- 
tically the  same  when  the  yields  of  soybeans  and  red  clover  are  com- 
pared. On  dark-colored  silt  loam  soils  the  yield  of  clover  is  68  percent 
better  than  on  light-colored  soils,  whereas  the  yield  of  soybeans  is  70 
percent  better.  While  the  yields  of  soybeans  on  the  untreated  light- 
colored  soils  of  southern  Illinois  are  low,  yet  they  are  no  lower,  com- 
paratively, than  the  yields  of  other  crops.  It  appears,  therefore,  that 

TABLE  3. — COMPARATIVE  RESPONSE  OF  RED  CLOVER  AND  SOYBEANS  TO  SOIL  TREAT- 
MENT ON  DARK-COLORED  SILT  LOAM  SOILS 

(The  figures  are  averages  of  40  hay  crops  of  soybeans  and  83  hay  crops  of 

clover  on  11  different  fields:  1910-1922) 

(Tons  per  acre) 


Crop 

Soil  treatment 

0 

M 

ML 

MLP 

Red  clover  

2.06 
1.64 

2.43 
1.74 

2.60 
1.80 

2.64 
1.84 

Soybean  

this  crop  is  as  well  adapted  to  the  soil  and  the  climate  of  the  southern 
portion  of  the  state  as  the  other  field  crops  commonly  grown  there, 
and  with  the  possible  exception  of  sweet  clover,  that  the  yields  are  as 
greatly  improved  by  suitable  soil  treatment  as  are  the  yields  of  the 
other  crops. 

Has  Merit  as  a  Soil-Builder 

One  of  the  merits  listed  for  the  soybean  is  the  fact  that  it  is  a 
legume  and  therefore  may  function  as  a  soil-improvement  crop.  The 
fact  should  be  kept  in  mind,  however,  that  even  inoculated  soybeans 
will  not  increase  the  nitrogen  content  of  the  soil  unless  a  portion  of 
the  crop  is  returned  to  the  land.  Inoculated  legumes  secure  approxi- 
mately one-third  of  their  nitrogen  from  the  soil3*  and  two-thirds  from 
the  air.  If,  therefore,  the  entire  crop  above  ground  is  removed  and 
less  than  one-third  of  the  plant  is  contained  in  the  roots,  there  will 
be  a  loss  of  nitrogen  from  the  soil  in  addition  to  the  mineral  elements 
removed.  In  the  case  of  the  soybean  approximately  nine-tenths  of  the 
plant  is  found  in  the  tops  and  one-tenth  in  the  roots  according  to  in- 
vestigations made  at  the  Ohio  Experiment  Station.20*  The  soybean 
cannot,  therefore,  be  expected  to  be  effective  in  increasing  the  nitrogen 
content  of  the  soil  if  the  entire  crop  is  removed  and  none  of  it  re- 
turned in  the  form  either  of  animal  manure  or  of  green  manure. 


476 


BULLETIN  No.  310 


[June, 


For  this  reason  the  soybean  would  not  be  expected  to  compare 
favorably  with  the  clovers  for  the  maintenance  of  soil  nitrogen.  Brown 
and  Stallings3*  at  the  Iowa  Station  have  found  that  66  percent  of  the 
mature  red  clover  plant  is  contained  in  the  tops.  Thus  the  entire 
removal  of  the  top  growth  would  not  reduce  the  nitrogen  content  of 
soil  provided  the  plants  were  well  inoculated.  Field  results  are  in 
accord  with  the  conclusion  that  the  soybean  is  not  so  valuable  for  soil 
improvement  as  red  clover  when  the  entire  crop  is  removed. 

In  the  South-Central  rotation  on  the  University  farm  at  Urbana 
the  effect  of  soybeans  upon  succeeding  corn  crops  is  shown  in  the  four- 
year  rotation  of  corn,  corn,  corn,  and  soybeans.  The  results  are  given 
in  Table  4. 


TABLE  4. — INFLUENCE  OF  SOYBEANS  ON  YIELD  OF  CORN  IN  A  ROTATION  OF  CORN, 

CORN,  CORN,  AND  SOYBEANS,  SOUTH-CENTRAL  ROTATION, 

UNIVERSITY  SOUTH  FARM,  URBANA 

(Bushels  per  acre) 


* 

Corn  yields 
after  soybeans 

Number 
of  crops 

Soil  treatment 

R 

M 

RP 

MP 

First  year  

17 
17 
16 

47.6 
42.1 
38.2 

51.9 

44.8 
38.7 

53.3 
45.3 
42.7 

53.3 
47.1 
43.0 

Second  year  

Third  year  

Increase  of  first-year 
corn  over  third-year 
corn  

9.4 

13.2 

10.6 

10.3 

In  this  case  the  soybean  crop  apparently  has  a  beneficial  effect 
upon  the  succeeding  corn  crop.  It  is  impossible  to  say  whether  this 
influence  is  due  merely  to  a  change  of  crops  or  to  some  other  factor. 
It  is  interesting  in  this  connection  to  note  that  the  yield  of  corn  on 
the  Morrow  plots,  on  the  University  North  Farm,  at  Urbana,  is  10 
bushels  an  acre  higher  in  the  corn  and  oats  rotation  than  where  corn 
grows  continuously.  This  is  approximately  the  difference  in  yield  be- 
tween first-year  corn  after  soybeans  and  third-year  corn  after  soy- 
beans. 

Fits  Well  Into  Illinois  Rotations 

The  soybean  crop  fits  into  many  rotations  advantageously.  It  is 
suitable  for  either  livestock  or  grain  systems  of  farming  but  when 
used  on  the  strictly  grain  farm,  consideration  should  be  given  to  the 
matter  of  maintaining  the  fertility  of  the  soil  with  other  legumes.  The 
soybean  should  be  given  a  place  in  the  rotation  more  particularly  be- 
cause of  its  merit  as  a  money  crop — that  is,  for  its  value  as  a  seed  or 
hay  crop — and  any  fertility  value  which  might  result  should  be  re- 


1928] 


SOYBEAN  PRODUCTION  IN  ILLINOIS 


477 


TABLE  5. — INFLUENCE  OF  SOIL  TREATMENT  ON  YIELDS  OF  SOYBEAN  HAY, 

UNIVERSITY  EXPERIMENT  FIELDS 

(Tons  per  acre) 


Kind  of  soil 

Number 
of  fields 

Number 
of  crops 

Soil  treatment 

0 

M 

ML 

MLP 

Light-colored  prairie1  

5 
3 
11 

1 

31 
22 
40 
8 

.62 
.60 
1.64 

.83 

.71 

.75 
1.74 
.95 

.97 
1.07 
1.80 
1.23 

1.06 
1.22 

1.84 
1.22 

Light-colored  timber2  

Dark-colored  prairie3  

Sand4  

'Soil  experiment  fields  at  Ewing,  Newton,  Oblong,  Toledo,  and  Sparta. 
2Enfield,  Raleigh,  and  West  Salem  fields. 

3  Aledo,  Carlinville,  Carthage,  Clayton,  Dixon,  Joliet,  La  Moille,  Minonk,  Mt. 
Morris,  Sidell,  and  Pana  fields. 
*Oquawka  field. 

TABLE  6. — INFLUENCE  OF  SOIL  TREATMENT  ON  YIELDS  OF 

SOYBEAN  SEED,  UNIVERSITY  EXPERIMENT  FIELDS 

(Bushels  per  acre) 


Kind  of 

soil 

Number 
of  fields 

Number 
of  crops 

0 

M 

ML 

MLP 

0 

R 

RL 

• 
RLP 

RLPK 

Dark- 
colored 
prairie1  .  .  . 

7 

21 

16.6 

19  6 

21.7 

21.0 

Dark- 
colored 
prairie1.  .  . 

8 

55 

14.7 

14.4 

16.7 

17.1 

17.3 

Light- 
colored 
timber*  .  .  . 

3 

27 

4.3 

5.4 

8.2 

10.3 

11.0 

Light- 
colored 
prairie4.  .  . 

6 

55 

5.8 

6.6 

10.6 

10.9 

10.8 

Sand*  

1 

12 

8.8« 

ii.i« 

i4.8« 

ii.  9« 

6.1 

6.4 

9.7 

9.8 

9.7 

'Fields  at  Aledo,  Carlinville,  Carthage,  Clayton,  Dixon,  LaMoille,  and  Minonk. 

'Aledo,  Carlinville,  Carthage,  Clayton,  Dixon,  Joliet,  LaMoille,  and  Minonk  fields. 

'Enfield,  Raleigh,  and  West  Salem  fields. 

4Ewing,  Sparta,  Newton,  Oblong,  Odin,  and  Toledo  fields. 

*Oquawka  field. 

'Four  crops  only. 

garded  as  an  additional  gain.  In  other  words,  the  soybean  crop  should 
not  be  used  to  replace  other  legumes  in  the  rotation. 

The  following  are  a  few  suggested  rotations  which  may  be  modi- 
fied according  to  special  circumstances.  They  are  suggested  merely 
to  illustrate  how  soybeans  may  fit  into  a  corn-belt  rotation  and  do  not 
take  into  consideration  labor  distribution.  That  is  a  problem  for  each 
fanner  to  decide,  depending  upon  the  acreages  of  the  several  crops 
which  he  is  raising. 

Five-year  rotations 

1.  Corn,  corn,  soybeans,  wheat,  clover,  or  sweet-clover  pasture 

2.  Corn,  soybeans,  wheat,  clover,  wheat  (sweet-clover  catch  crop) 
Four-year  rotations 

1.  Corn,  oats,  soybeans,  wheat  (sweet-clover  catch  crop) 

2.  Corn,  corn,  soybeans,  wheat  (sweet-clover  catch  crop) 
Three-year  rotation 

1.  Corn,  soybeans,  wheat  (sweet -clover  catch  crop) 


478 


BULLETIN  No.  310 


[June, 


The  yields  of  soybean  hay  and  seed  obtained  on  twenty  Illinois 
soil  experiment  fields  over  the  state  are  found  in  Tables  5  and  6. 


FIG.  2. — WELL-SELECTED  SEED  Is  NECESSARY  FOR  GOOD  RESULTS 
Quality  in  soybean  seed  is  more  important  than  often  is  recognized. 
A  chipped  or  cracked  seed  is  unsafe,  broken  or  split  beans  produce  nothing, 
prevent  a  full  seeding,  and  are  a  loss  of  good  feed.  Pure  seed  of  one  variety 
insures  against  variations  in  color  and  maturity.  Upper  center,  typical  low- 
grade  seed;  lower  center,  pure  seed  from  the  same  sample;  left  end,  impure 
seed  (7  varieties)  from  sample;  right  end,  trash,  split,  cracked,  and  rotted 
seed  from  sample. 


ESSENTIAL  CULTURAL  PRACTICES 
A  Good  Seed  Bed 

Successful  soybean  production  is  dependent  upon  the  crop  being 
started  with  a  good  seed  bed.  The  bed  must  be  firm  and  there  must 
be  enough  loose  soil  to  cover  the  seed  well  and  sufficient  moisture  to 
sprout  it  promptly.  The  ideal  seed  bed  is  prepared  either  by  fall  or 
by  early  spring  plowing  followed  by  harrowing  or  light  disking  at 
frequent  intervals  during  April  and  May. 

It  is  desirable  to  kill  as  many  weeds  as  possible  before  seeding. 
Stirring  the  ground  thoroly  just  before  the  seeds  are  planted  is  im- 
portant, as  this  will  kill  the  crop  of  weeds  just  starting  and  thus  give 
the  soybean  seed  at  least  an  even  chance  with  the  weed  seeds  which 
remain.  Thoro  and  proper  preparation  of  the  seed  bed  will  largely 
overcome  the  seriousness  of  the  weed  menace  later  in  the  season. 

Disking  as  a  substitute  for  plowing  in  the  preparation  of  a  seed 
bed  for  soybeans  is  seldom  advisable,  but  there  may  be  an  occasional 
field  in  which  the  soil  is  mellow  and  the  surface  soil  clean  and  rel- 
atively free  of  weeds,  where  a  good  seed  bed  can  be  prepared  by  disk- 
ing. At  the  Ohio  Station20*  soybeans  seeded  at  the  rate  of  3  pecks  per 


1928} 


SOYBEAN  PRODUCTION  IN  ILLINOIS 


479 


acre  in  24-inch  rows  on  disked  corn  stubble  land  yielded  10.58  bushels 
of  seed  and  1,895  pounds  of  straw  as  compared  with  15.79  bushels  of 
beans  and  2,052  pounds  of  straw  on  plowed  and  prepared  corn  stubble 
land. 

Thoro  Inoculation 

Thoro  inoculation  of  the  soybean  is  imperative  if  the  crop,  in  ad- 
dition to  its  many  other  desirable  qualities,  is  to  be  useful  for  soil  im- 
provement. Being  a  legume  the  soybean  is  able  to  secure  a  large  part 
of  its  nitrogen  requirement  from  the  air  provided  its  roots  are  well 
supplied  with  nitrogen-gathering  bacteria  living  within  the  nodules  on 
the  roots  of  the  plants.  Such  plants  are  said  to  be  inoculated.  If  not 
inoculated,  the  soybean  must  depend  upon  the  soil  for  its  nitrogen  as 
well  as  for  its  mineral  requirements.  Therefore,  in  order  to  function 
as  a  "soil-building"  crop,  the  soybean  must  be  inoculated. 

The  value  of  inoculation  is  not  limited,  however,  to  its  influence 
upon  subsequent  crop  yields  but  an  immediate  benefit  is  obtained  in 
the  form  of  an  increased  yield  of  beans,  and  furthermore  the  bean 
crop  itself  contains  a  higher  percentage  of  protein  than  the  uninocu- 
lated  crop.  These  facts  are  well  brought  out  in  the  results  secured 
in  1924  on  the  University  Farm  at  Urbana  and  given  in  Table  7. 

TABLE  7. — EFFECT  OF  INOCULATION  ON  COMPOSITION  AND 
YIELD  OF  MANCHU  SOYBEANS,  UNIVERSITY  FARM,  URBANA,  1924 


Yields 

Protein  content 

Hay 

Seed 

Hay 

Seed 

Inoculated  

tons 
2.53 
1.78 
.75 

bu. 
46.  61 
34.  7l 
11  .91 

perct. 
15.81 
14.62 
1.19 

Ibs.  per  ton 
316.2 
292.4 
23.8 

perct. 
35.25 
31.05 
4.20 

Ibs.  per  ton 
705 
621 

84 

Not  inoculated  .... 
Gain  for  inoculation 

1The  high  yield  of  seed  is  due  to  the  fact  that  the  beans  were  harvested  and 
threshed  by  hand;  in  this  way  there  was  practically  no  loss. 


Altho  a  gain  of  1,500  pounds  of  soybean  hay  and  11.9  bushels  of 
beans  per  acre  is  not  an  unexpected  increase,  it  should  not  be  assumed 
that  such  gains  may  be  obtained  under  all  conditions.  The  response 
of  this  crop  to  inoculation  will  be  influenced  by  the  fertility  of  the 
soil,  the  less  productive  soils  giving  a  higher  percentage  increase  than 
the  more  fertile  fields.  On  some  of  the  best  soils  only  small  increases 
in  the  bean  yield  may  be  secured  at  times  thru  inoculation,  whereas 
much  larger  returns  may  be  secured  on  the  poorer  soils  of  the  state. 
The  protein  content  of  the  crop  will  be  increased,  however,  by  inocu- 
lation even  tho  there  is  no  increase  in  yield,  according  to  investigation 
at  the  Michigan  Station.23* 


480 


BULLETIN  No.  310 


[June, 


Unlike  the  other  common  legumes,  the  bacteria  from  no  other 
kind  of  crop  have  the  ability  to  produce  nodules  consistently  on  the 
soybean.  Altho  some  strains  of  cowpea  nodule  organisms  infect  the 
soybean,  other  strains  fail.  Furthermore  some  strains  of  cowpea 
bacteria  are  poor  nitrogen-fixers  when  growing  on  the  roots  of  the  soy- 


FIG.  3. — A  THOROLY  INOCULATED  SOYBEAN  PLANT 
The  nodules  are  numerous  and  of  medium  size, 
indicating  that  this  plant  was  probably  grown  in  soil 
where  soybeans  had  been  grown  before.  When  in- 
oculated beans  are  grown  in  a  soil  for  the  first  time, 
the  nodules  will  usually  be  large  but  few. 


bean.  It  is  therefore  important  that  the  soybean  be  artificially  inocu- 
lated the  first  time  or  two  that  the  crop  appears  upon  the  land.  After 
the  land  is  once  supplied  with  suitable  bacteria,  the  necessity  for  fur- 
ther inoculation  of  the  seed  will  depend  upon  the  frequency  with 
which  the  crop  appears  in  the  field  and  also  upon  the  acidity  of  the 
soil.  Even  on  soils  which  are  only  moderately  sour,  the  application 
of  lime  tends  to  prolong  the  life  of  these  organisms.  This  fact  is 
illustrated  by  data  secured  from  the  University  Farm  at  Urbana.  The 
South-Central  rotation  consists  of  corn,  corn,  corn,  and  soybeans.  In 


SOYBEAN  PRODUCTION  IN  ILLINOIS  481 

this  system  of  cropping,  with  the  soybeans  appearing  every  fourth 
year,  the  number  of  nodules  is  considerably  higher  on  the  limed  plots 
than  on  the  unlimed.  Inoculated  soybeans  having  been  grown  on 
these  plots  several  times,  the  seed  that  was  used  in  1925  was  not 
inoculated.  Plants  from  these  plots  were  carefully  dug  and  the  num- 
ber of  nodules  counted.  The  results  secured  indicate  (Table  8)  that 

TABLE  8. — NUMBER  OF  NODULES  ON  Two  VARIETIES 

OF  SOYBEANS  GROWN  ON  LIMED  AND  UNLIMED 

PLOTS,  UNIVERSITY  SOUTH  FARM, 

URBANA,  1925 


Variety 

Average  number  of  nodules 
per  plant 

Limed  plots 

Unlimed  plots 

Ebony  

50.00 

43.85 

29.45 
29.03 

Manchu  

soils  which  are  in  a  low  state  of  fertility  and  especially  those  which 
are  distinctly  acid  will  require  special  attention  as  to  inoculation.  It 
may  even  be  necessary  under  some  circumstances  to  inoculate  anew 
at  every  seeding  of  soybeans. 

Inoculation  by  Direct  Transfer  of  Soil. — Methods  practiced  in 
inoculating  have  changed  during  the  past  few  years.  Formerly,  bac- 
teria were  carried  from  one  field  to  another  thru  a  direct  transfer  of 
soil.  The  practice  was  to  spread  400  to  600  pounds  of  inoculated  soil 
upon  each  acre  of  the  field  in  which  inoculation  was  desired.  This  was 
an  effective  method  but  objections  to  it  were  the  cost  of  hauling  such 
large  quantities  of  soil  and  the  possibility  of  scattering  weed  seed  and 
spreading  plant  diseases. 

"Muddy-Water"  Method  of  Inoculation. — More  recently  a  modi- 
fication of  this  soil  method  has  been  used  and  is  known  as  the  "muddy- 
water"  method.  The  procedure  is  as  follows: 

To  a  measured  quantity  of  well-inoculated  soil  add  an  equal  amount  of 
water.  Stir  this  for  approximately  five  minutes  in  order  to  break  up  all  the 
lumps  of  soil  and  to  permit  the  bacteria  to  be  washed  into  the  muddy  water. 
After  the  soil  has  settled  for  another  five  minutes,  remove  the  trash  from  the 
surface  of  the  liquid.  Sprinkle  approximately  one  pint  of  this  muddy  water  over 
each  bushel  of  seed,  making  sure  that  the  seed  is  stirred  until  every  one  is 
moistened.  They  may  then  be  spread  out  and  allowed  to  dry  in  the  shade. 

The  inoculation  of  soybeans  requires  care,  especially  as  regards 
the  amount  of  water  applied,  for  excess  water  will  loosen  the  seed 
coats,  causing  them  to  "slip"  in  handling.  Drying  may  be  hastened 
by  sprinkling  some  of  the  dry,  inoculated  soil  on  the  seeds  and  stirring 
them  again.  Seeding  should  follow  the  inoculation  operation  as  soon 
as  convenient. 


482 


BULLETIN  No.  310 


[June, 


Soil  for  inoculating  purposes  should  be  secured  from  a  field  in 
which  the  soil  is  sweet  and  in  which  the  soybeans  showed  abundant 
nodule  development.  In  order  to  insure  as  thoro  inoculation  as  pos- 
sible, soil  should  be  taken  from  around  the  roots  of  well-inoculated 
plants. 


FIG.  4. — INOCULATING  SOYBEANS  BY  THE  "MUDDY-WATER" 

METHOD 

Well-inoculated  soil  must  be  used  and  every  seed 
moistened  with  the  muddy  water.  At  the  same  time  it  is 
very  important  that  an  excess  of  water  be  avoided,  for  it 
injures  the  beans  by  causing  the  seed  coats  to  "slip"  and 
the  result  is  a  poor  stand. 


Commercial  Inoculants. — Comparatively  recently  it  has  been  found 
possible  to  grow  legume  bacteria  in  the  laboratory  and  then  transfer 
these  organisms  to  the  proper  legume  seed  very  successfully.  The  de- 
velopment of  this  method  has  now  reached  the  stage  where  nodule 
bacteria  may  be  secured  from  a  large  number  of  commercial  labor- 
atories at  a  cost  ranging  from  25  cents  to  one  dollar  for  each  bushel 
of  seed  to  be  inoculated.  Many  of  these  cultures  are  not  only  less 
difficult  to  handle,  but  apparently  in  the  hands  of  some  farmers  they 
give  more  satisfactory  results  on  soybeans  than  do  the  soil  methods. 

Seed  Soon  After  Corn  Planting 

Under  Illinois  conditions  the  proper  time  to  seed  soybeans  is 
about  the  time  corn  is  planted.  With  most  varieties  late  planting 
should  be  avoided,  especially  if  the  crop  is  to  be  grown  for  seed,  since 
practically  all  common  varieties  require  the  entire  season  to  mature. 


1928} 


SOYBEAN  PRODUCTION  IN  ILLINOIS 


483 


Early  planting  will  usually  be  accompanied  by  somewhat  earlier 
ripening,  altho  the  difference  in  time  of  maturity  will  not  be  so  great 
as  the  difference  in  time  of  planting.  The  soil  temperature  require- 
ment for  germinating  the  soybean  is  about  the  same  as  that  for  corn. 
The  chief  reason  for  seeding  soybeans  a  few  days  after  corn  is  planted 
is  to  enable  the  grower  to  kill  another  crop  of  weeds. 

Two  Common  Methods  of  Seeding. — Soybeans  are  commonly 
planted  in  rows  to  permit  of  cultivation,  and  they  are  also  drilled  as 
for  small  grain.  A  grain  drill,  a  corn  planter,  or  a  sugar-beet  drill 
may  be  used.  The  grain  drill  enables  the  farmer  either  to  seed  the 
beans  solid,  in  the  same  manner  as  wheat  or  oats,  or  to  space  them  in 
rows  of  any  desired  width.  The  corn  planter  and  the  sugar-beet  drill 
seed  only  in  relatively  wide  rows.  Most  corn  planters  are  adjustable, 
and  with  some  kinds  it  is  possible  to  seed  in  rows  as  narrow  as  30 
inches.  Sugar-beet  drills  are  adjustable,  the  rows  varying  from  15  to 
30  inches.  With  the  coming  of  the  combine  some  objection  has  been 
found  to  soybeans  grown  in  rows  because  of  the  tendency  to  ridge  the 
land  during  cultivation.  When  soybeans  are  grown  in  rows  and  cul- 
tivated, care  should  be  exercised  to  keep  the  surface  soil  level  if  a 
combine  is  to  be  used  in  harvesting. 

The  method  of  seeding  did  not  appear  to  influence  markedly  the 
yields  of  seed  from  the  Ebony  variety  on  the  University  South  Farm 
at  Urbana  during  the  three  years  1913-1915,  as  may  be  noted  from 
Table  9.  The  yields  of  straw  show  a  somewhat  greater  fluctuation  in 
1915,  when  the  7-inch  and  broadcast  plots  were  included. 

Whether  the  crop  is  to  be  grown  for  hay  or  for  seed  will  influence 
somewhat  the  method  of  seeding.  The  crop  can  be  grown  satisfactorily 
when  seeded  solid  with  the  grain  drill  if  the  land  has  been  carefully 
prepared  and  if  the  presence  of  some  weed  grasses  in  the  crop  at 
harvest  time  is  not  objectionable.  Planting  in  rows  18  to  32  inches 
apart,  depending  upon  the  machinery  available,  is  preferable  if  the 

TABLE  9. — EFFECT  OF  SPACE  BETWEEN  Rows  ON  YIELDS  OF  SOYBEAN  HAY  AND 
SEED  CROPS,  UNIVERSITY  SOUTH  FARM,  URBANA 


Space  between  rows 

Yield  of  straw 

Yield  of  seed 

1913 

1914 

1915 

Aver. 

1913 

1914 

1915 

Aver. 

inches 
7  

tons 

tons 

tons 
1.44 
1.26 
1.12 
1.05 
.88 
.70 
1.43 

tons 
1.441 
1.06 
1.07 
.94 
.90 
.70* 
1.431 

bu. 

bu. 

bu. 
25  A 
23  .4 
26.0 
25.4 
23.8 
19.5 
26.5 

bu. 
25  A1 
22.0 
24.0 
23.0 
22.6 
19.  51 
26.  51 

14  

.66 
.78 
.63 
.72 

1.26 
1.32 
1.15 
1.10 

16.1 
21.1 
18.3 
18.6 

26.6 
25.1 
25.3 
25.6 

21  

28  

35  

40  

Broadcast  

year  only. 


484 


BULLETIN  No.  310 


[June, 


FIG.  5. — DRILLING  SOYBEANS  IN  A  WELL-PREPARED  SEED  BED 
In  preparing  the  seed  bed  for  soybeans,  it  should  be  the  aim  to  kill  as 
many  weed  crops  as  possible.    Some  good  weed-killing  implement  should 
precede  .the  drill  preferably  by  two  to  four  hours. 


FIG.  6. — DRILLING  FOUR  Rows  OF  SOYBEANS  AT  A  TIME 
Machinery  designed  for  seeding  beets  and  beans  is  well  adapted  for 
soybeans.    This  drill  will  seed  soybeans  in  20-,  22-,  and  24-inch  rows  and 
at  rates  varying  from  30  to  100  pounds  to  an  acre  depending  upon  the 
width  of  the  row  and  the  size  of  the  seed. 


1928}  SOYBEAN  PRODUCTION  IN  ILLINOIS  485 

grower  expects  to  keep  out  weeds  or  if  he  desires  to  use  a  minimum 
amount  of  seed  in  planting.  Soybeans  planted  in  rows  at  the  usual 
rates  will  produce  seed  that  is  larger,  plumper,  and  of  finer  quality 
than  beans  that  have  been  drilled  solid  or  grown  in  rows  in  which  the 
seed  is  planted  very  thickly. 

The  Ohio  Experiment  Station24*  reports  a  test  comparing  soybeans 
planted  solid  with  those  grown  in  rows.  This  test  included  two  va- 
rieties and  covered  a  period  of  two  years.  The  greatest  total  yield  was 
produced  where  the  beans  were  grown  in  24-inch  rows. 

Rate  of  Seeding  Varies  With  Conditions. — The  rate  of  seeding  de- 
pends upon  four  considerations:  the  variety  or  size  of  seed,  the  method 
of  seeding,  the  vitality  of  the  seed  used,  and  the  use  to  be  made  of 
the  crop. 

The  size  of  seed  varies  with  different  varieties.  The  larger-seeded 
varieties,  such  as  Mammoth  Yellow,  Tarheel,  Elton,  Hamilton,  Black 
Eyebrow,  and  Haberlandt,  have  from  125  to  200  seeds  to  an  ounce. 
Medium-sized  seed  from. varieties  such  as  A.  K.,  Ebony,  and  Midwest 
(Mongol  or  Holly  brook)  run  from  200  to  300  an  ounce,  while  small- 
seeded  varieties,  such  as  Peking  (Sable),  Wilson  V,  Lexington,  and 
Arlington  have  from  300  to  as  many  as  400  seeds  to  an  ounce.  This 
wide  variation  necessitates  some  consideration  when  seeding.  The 
following  suggested  rates  are  based  upon  medium-sized  seed,  such  as 
that  of  Midwest  (Mongol  or  Hollybrook).  Rates  for  larger  or  smaller 
seeds  may  be  proportionately  increased  or  decreased  as  occasion  de- 
mands. It  should  be  remembered  that  inoculated  beans  seed  more 
slowly  than  uninoculated  beans,  and  an  allowance  of  10  to  20  percent 
should  be  made  when  they  are  being  seeded. 

Seeding  in  rows  28  to  32  inches  apart  requires  35  to  45  pounds  of 
seed  to  the  acre,  depending  upon  the  size  of  seed.  Seeding  solid  with 
the  grain  drill  requires  from  6  to  7  pecks.  Seeding  in  corn,  either  for 
hogging-off  or  for  silage,  is  usually  done  at  the  rate  of  1%  to  2  soybean 
seeds  to  a  kernel  of  corn.  This  will  require,  of  the  medium-sized 
seed,  approximately  2%  to  3%  pounds  of  seed  to  the  acre,  thus  making 
one  bushel  of  seed  sufficient  for  about  17  to  25  acres. 

Give  Careful  Attention  to  Cultivation 

Proper  cultivation  in  the  production  of  soybeans  cannot  be  over- 
emphasized. Most  effective  cultivation  will  usually  be  done  before  the 
beans  are  planted.  It  is  frequently  advisable  and  sometimes  necessary 
to  cultivate  beans  once  before  they  come  thru  the  ground.  If  weeds 
get  started  more  rapidly  than  the  beans,  a  thoro  harrowing  or  culti- 
vating before  the  plants  are  up  will  be  of  great  help. 

In  soils  which  tend  to  crust  badly  it  is  advisable  to  break  up  the 
hard  surface  two  or  three  days  before  the  beans  are  ready  to  come 


486 


BULLETIN  No.  310 


[June, 


FIG.  7. — A  ROTARY  HOE  BREAKING  THE  CRUST  THAT  FORMS  AFTER  RAINS 
If  used  in  time,  this  implement  will  usually  help  the  seedlings  to 
come  thru  the  ground.  While  some  are  undoubtedly  destroyed  by  the 
hoe,  fewer  are  sacrificed  than  if  left  to  break  their  own  way  thru  the 
crust. 


FIG.  8. — THE  ROTARY  HOE  Is  ALSO  WIDELY  USED  IN  CULTIVATING 
DRILLED  SOYBEANS 

This  implement,  if  used  when  weeds  and  weed  grasses  are  just  start- 
ing, and  used  frequently,  will  keep  the  crop  clean  until  bloom  starts, 
when  it  is  advisable  to  stop  all  cultivation. 


1928]  SOYBEAN  PRODUCTION  IN  ILLINOIS  487 

thru.  Plants  are  easily  broken  off  just  as  they  are  coming  thru  the 
ground  and  frequently,  unless  given  assistance,  will  "break  their  necks." 
This  is  the  most  critical  of  the  cultivation  processes  and  must  be  done 
just  as  soon  as  possible  after  the  crust  forms.  The  rotary  hoe  works 
admirably  for  this  purpose,  the  spike-tooth  harrow  is  satisfactory,  or 
the  weeder  may  be  used  provided  it  will  break  the  crust. 

Beans  seeded  in  rows  are  commonly  cultivated  with  corn  machin- 
ery; the  ordinary  two-horse  corn  cultivator  is  the  most  commonly 


FIG.  9. — ANOTHER  TOOL  FOR  CULTIVATING  SOYBEANS 
The  harrow  may  be  used  effectively  provided  the  work  is  done  fre- 
quently enough  to  kill  each  crop  of  weeds  while  in  the  seedling  stage. 
A  light  harrow  can  be  used  until  the  beans  are  6  to  8  inches  high. 

used  and  probably  the  most  satisfactory  implement  generally  available 
for  this  purpose.  Beans  seeded  solid  are  as  a  rule  cultivated  with  the 
rotary  hoe,  an  excellent  implement  for  the  purpose.  At  the  Iowa  Ex- 
periment Station,10*  in  a  comparison  of  the  rotary  hoe,  harrow,  and 
weeder  as  implements  for  the  cultivation  of  beans,  it  was  found  that 
the  rotary  hoe  killed  the  fewest  beans.  The  investigators  did  report, 
however,  that  if  weeds  were  allowed  to  get  started,  "the  harrow  and 
weeder  were  more  effective  in  killing  the  weeds." 

Cultivation  should  be  frequent  enough  to  keep  down  weeds,  at 
least  until  the  beans  are  tall  enough  to  shade  the  ground.  As  a  rule, 
beans  in  rows  can  be  cultivated  until  they  are  practically  ready  to 
bloom,  by  which  time  they  will  be  large  enough  to  make  considerable 


488 


BULLETIN  No.  310 


[June, 


FIG.  10. — CULTIVATING  SOYBEANS  WITH  A  WEEDER 
The  weeder  is  a  good  implement  for  cultivating  soybeans  provided 
the  soil  is  loose  and  mellow.    In  compact  or  crusted  soil  it  may  not  stir 
the  soil  deeply  enough  to  kill  the  weeds. 


FIG.  11. — BEET  AND  BEAN  CULTIVATOR  USED  FOR  SOYBEANS 
This  implement  is  designed  to  be  used  when  the  crop  has  been 
seeded  with  the  drill  shown  in  Fig.  6. 


shade  and  thus  more  nearly  control  the  weeds.  Two  or  three  cultiva- 
tions after  the  beans  are  up  will  usually  be  sufficient. 


19ZS\  SOYBEAN  PRODUCTION  IN  ILLINOIS  489 

HARVESTING  AND  THRESHING  SOYBEANS 
Harvesting  the  Hay  Crop 

Soybeans  make  good  hay  any  time  after  the  pods  form  and  until 
the  leaves  begin  to  fall.  Early-cut  hay  is  probably  richer  in  protein,24* 
but  hay  cut  after  the  seeds  are  well  formed  and  before  the  leaves  fall 
gives  the  greatest  total  yield.  Palatability,  and  therefore  the  propor- 
tion of  the  hay  consumed  by  stock,  seems  to  decrease  as  maturity 
approaches. 

Soybean  hay  is  much  more  readily  cured  than  cowpea  hay.  Rains 
which  would  ruin  a  crop  of  cowpea  hay  will  apparently  do  little  more 
harm  than  to  discolor  soybeans.  Discolored  soybean  hay  is  probably 
not  so  nutritious  as  that  made  without  exposure  to  rain,  but  it  is 
nevertheless  of  good  feeding  value  and  stock  do  not  seem  to  object 
to  it.  The  average  yield  of  hay  on  the  South-Central  rotation  on  the 
University  South  Farm  for  the  twenty-two  varieties,  a  total  of  97  hay 
crops,  tested  during  the  last  eight  years  (1919-1926)  is  2.20  tons  per 
acre.  The  highest  yielding  variety  for  the  four-year  period  (1919- 
1922)  during  which  it  was  grown  was  Peking  with  an  average  yield  of 
2.56  tons  (Table  21).  The  average  yield  of  medium-maturing  soy- 
beans on  fertile  soils  may  be  expected  to  be  two  to  three  tons  of  hay 
per  acre.  On  the  less  fertile  soils  beans  of  a  hay  type,  such  as  Vir- 
ginia, Wilson  V,  Ilsoy,  Lexington,  and  Morse,  should  yield  from  1.75 
to  2.5  tons. 

The  mower  is  the  implement  most  commonly  used  for  cutting  the 
hay  crop.  The  binder,  favored  by  some  growers,  has  some  disad- 
vantages. Soybeans  cut  at  the  proper  stage  for  good  hay  contain  a 
large  percentage  of  water.  If  bound  tightly  at  this  stage  there  is  al- 
most certain  to  be  some  loss  from  molding.  When  cut  with  a  mower, 
soybeans  are  usually  allowed  to  remain  in  the  swath  for  about  a  day 
in  order  that  they  may  become  thoroly  wilted.  After  wilting,  the  crop 
is  raked  into  windrows  and  allowed  to  complete  the  curing.  After  one 
day  in  the  windrow  the  hay  is  sometimes  put  into  shocks  or  bunches 
to  cure  out  thoroly.  A  good  quality  of  hay,  however,  can  be  made 
direct  from  the  windrow. 

Harvesting  for  Seed 

The  soybean  seed  crop  should  be  cut  when  the  pods  are  fully 
matured,  the  seed  in  the  hard-dough  stage  and,  with  most  varieties, 
when  the  leaves  are  practically  all  off.  If  cut  earlier,  the  seed  will 
usually  wrinkle  badly  during  the  drying  period,  will  appear  inferior, 
and  will  be  difficult  to  keep  from  molding,  especially  if  put  into  bins. 
Inexperienced  growers  sometimes  attempt  to  harvest  the  seed  crop 
early  before  the  leaves  fall,  thinking  that  by  so  doing  they  can  get  a 
much  better  quality  of  straw,  a  quality  more  nearly  approaching  hay. 


490  BULLETIN  No.  310  [June, 

There  is  no  one  time,  however,  when  soybeans  can  be  cut  and  produce 
a  crop  of  good  hay  and  at  the  same  time  make  a  good  seed  crop.  A 
hay  crop  will  usually  be  cut  three  weeks  or  a  month  before  the  seed 
crop  is  ready  to  harvest. 

The  grain  binder  is  generally  used  for  harvesting  the  seed  crop, 
but  some  varieties,  especially  when  grown  on  poor  soils,  grow  so  short 
that  it  is  necessary  to  use  the  mower  in  order  to  save  the  crop.  The 
self-rake  reaper  and  the  clover  buncher  are  good  machines  for  cutting 
short  beans.  When  cut  with  a  binder,  soybeans  are  handled  in  prac- 
tically the  same  manner  as  any  other  grain.  The  bundles  should  be 
comparatively  small  and  not  bound  too  tightly,  especially  when  the 
beans  are  cut  relatively  early  before  the  leaves  are  all  off  and  the 
plants  thoroly  dried.  Bundles  should  be  set  up  in  small  shocks  and 
allowed  to  cure  in  the  field. 

Soybeans  frequently  lodge  badly  on  rich  land.  This  is  especially 
true  of  tall,  slender,  vining  types,  such  as  Wilson  and  Virginia.  Har- 
vesting beans  which  have  lodged  is  a  difficult  task.  The  ordinary 
binder  equipped  with  the  extra  guards,  or  "fingers,"  made  for  picking 
up  lodged  grain  works  fairly  satisfactorily  but  will  not  completely 
gather  the  crop. 

Where  threshing  equipment  is  not  likely  to  be  available  for  a  con- 
siderable time  after  harvest,  it  may  be  advisable  to  stack  the  beans. 
After  curing  in  the  field,  the  soybean  bundles  can  be  stacked  with  ex- 
cellent success.  Stacking  soybeans  is  done  in  much  the  same  manner 
as  stacking  wheat.  This  method  of  handling  is  especially  desirable 
when  the  time  of  threshing  is  indefinite  or  where  it  is  necessary  to 
fall-plow  or  to  seed  another  crop  in  the  soybean  field  before  threshing 
can  be  done. 

Threshing  the  Seed  Crop 

Many  growers,  after  producing  a  good  crop  of  soybeans  and  har- 
vesting them  efficiently,  have  had  difficulty  in  getting  the  crop  threshed. 

The  ordinary  grain  separator  should  thresh  soybeans  satisfactorily 
after  a  few  adjustments  are  made.  The  speed  of  the  cylinder  must  be 
reduced  to  approximately  one-half  the  normal  threshing  rate.  Thresh- 
ing machines1*  have  an  optimum  speed  at  which  the  manufacturer  ad- 
vises they  be  run.  In  threshing  soybeans  a  speed  of  two-fifths  to  one- 
half  the  indicated  revolutions  per  minute  will  in  most  cases  be  satis- 
factory when  the  beans  are  dry.  The  first  concave  should  always  be 
removed  and  a  wood  blank  substituted.  This  will  materially  reduce 
the  percentage  of  chipped  and  broken  beans.  When  threshing  beans 
that  are  damp,  it  may  be  necessary  to  use  all  the  concaves  in  order  to 
get  all  the  seed  but  even  then  most  of  the  teeth  should  be  removed, 
leaving  perhaps  one-third  to  one-half  the  usual  number.  If  necessary 
to  use  the  concave  it  should  be  lowered,  setting  it  far  enough  away 
from  the  cylinder  to  reduce  the  cracking  of  the  beans  to  a  minimum. 


1928}  SOYBEAN  PRODUCTION  IN  ILLINOIS  491 

In  threshing  dry  beans,  the  wood  blank  and  the  reduced  cylinder 
speed  should  shell  out  all  the  seed  and  practically  do  away  with  the 
splitting  of  the  beans. 

Reducing  the  speed  of  the  cylinder  will  slow  down  the  remainder  of 
the  separator  correspondingly  so  that  the  machine  will  not  clean  the 
grain  and  elevate  the  straw  effectively.  To  overcome  this  a  large 
pulley  should  be  put  on  the  cylinder  shaft  and  the  speed  of  the  re- 
mainder of  the  machine  thus  kept  at  least  at  its  normal  rate. 

Special  Machines  for  Harvesting  and  Threshing 

There  are  several  special  pea  and  bean  hullers  on  the  market 
which  thresh  soybeans  satisfactorily.  Some  of  these  machines  are 


FIG.  12. — HARVESTING  A  GOOD  CROP  OF  MANCHUS  WITH  THE  COMBINE 
The  ground  is  quite  soft  and  yet  the  beans  are  dry  enough  for 
threshing.    Combines  are  gaining  in  popularity  and  are  very  effective 
when  properly  adjusted  and  in  charge  of  a  careful  operator. 


designed  primarily  for  cowpeas,  others  for  navy  beans,  but  all  of  them 
when  properly  adjusted  will  thresh  soybeans. 

Several  harvesters  or  strippers  designed  to  gather  beans  grown  in 
rows  have  been  developed  in  the  Carolinas  and  Virginia.  These  ma- 
chines strip  the  beans  and  pods  from  the  standing  stalks,  depositing 
the  harvested  material  in  large  hoppers.  The  beans,  pods,  and  trash 
are  later  run  over  cleaning  equipment  to  separate  the  clean  seed.  These 
harvesters  have  not  been  widely  used  in  Illinois.  They  have  some 
promise  for  the  grower  who  produces  only  a  small  acreage  for  seed 
and  is  interested  in  utilizing  the  straw  for  soil  improvement  only.  In 


492  BULLETIN  No.  310  [June, 

order  to  operate  them  successfully,  rather  tall,  erect-growing  varieties 
must  be  chosen.  The  shorter  varieties  which  produce  their  pods  low 
on  the  stalk  cannot  be  completely  gathered.  Neither  can  the  tall, 
slender,  vining  types  be  satisfactorily  handled  by  this  mechanical 
picker.  These  machines  have  been  improved  greatly  during  the  past 
few  years  and  no  doubt  further  improvements  will  be  made. 

Soybean  harvesting  and  threshing  methods  have  been  very  unsat- 
isfactory for  the  grower  who  harvests  50  to  200  acres  or  more  of  seed 
beans  each  year.  During  the  past  four  years,  as  the  result  of  an  in- 
creasing call  from  the  soybean  producers  for  improved  seed  harvesters 
and  threshers,  the  machinery  manufacturers  are  now  offering  several 
field  threshers  of  the  same  type  as  those  used  in  the  wheat  fields  of  the 
West.  The  combine  was  first  used  in  Illinois  as  a  soybean  thresher  in 
1924. 14*  Twelve  machines  were  reported  in  operation  in  Illinois  in 
1925,  64  in  1926,  and  with  five  manufacturers  offering  machines  in 
1927  the  number  available  during  October  and  November,  1927,  ex- 
ceeded 300. 

The  combines  all  work  on  the  same  general  principle, — that  of 
cutting  the  mature  plants  and  elevating  them  to  the  cylinder,  where 
the  beans  are  threshed  out.  The  hulled  beans  are  then  passed  over 
screens  and  thru  the  blast  of  a  fan  just  as  in  the  ordinary  thresher. 
The  clean  seed  is  then  elevated  and  either  conveyed  to  a  seed  bin  which 
is  carried  on  the  machine,  run  directly  into  a  wagon  which  is  drawn 
along  the  side  of  the  combine,  or  run  into  sacks  which  are  tied  and 
dropped  off  the  machine.  The  straw,  pods,  leaves,  and  trash  are  car- 
ried to  the  rear  of  the  thresher,  where  they  may  be  scattered  over  the 
land  by  means  of  a  beater  or  straw  spreader  or  may  be  bunched  to 
facilitate  their  collection  in  case  the  farmer  wishes  to  feed  the  straw. 

The  combines  when  properly  adjusted  and  in  charge  of  a  careful 
operator  will  gather  a  greater  percentage  of  seed  than  any  other  har- 
vesting machine,  according  to  observations  made  by  the  Farm  Me- 
chanics Department  of  the  University  of  Illinois. 

The  advent  of  the  combine  marks  a  new  epoch  in  soybean  pro- 
duction. There  are  several  points  in  favor  of  these  machines  which 
bespeak  an  increasing  interest  in  them,  namely: 

1.  They  do  the  work  with  a  single  operation  and  therefore  reduce  harvest- 

ing costs. 

2.  They  shorten  the  harvesting  season,  thus  enabling  the  grower  to  take  full 

advantage  of  favorable  weather. 

3.  When  properly  adjusted  they  enable  the  farmer  to  harvest  the  crop  with 

less  loss  than  by  other  methods. 

4.  They  leave  the  residues  in  the  field  where  produced. 

5.  Standing  beans  are  not  injured  by  inclement  weather,  as  are  beans  that 

are  cut  and  shocked  awaiting  the  thresher. 

6.  Mature  soybeans  harvested  with  a  combine  will  usually  have  a  lower 

moisture   content  than  the   average  lot  that   is   cut,  shocked,  and 
threshed,  especially  if  rains  are  frequent. 


1928]  SOYBEAN  PRODUCTION  IN  ILLINOIS  493 

On  the  other  hand,  there  are  objections  which  must  necessarily 
be  weighed  before  one  comes  to  a  decision  as  to  the  most  satisfactory 
method  of  handling  the  soybean  seed  crop,  namely: 

1.  Late  harvesting  is  likely  to  endanger,  if  not  prevent,  the  seeding  of  winter 

wheat  in  the  soybean  stubble. 

2.  Combines  are  costly. 

3.  There  is  danger  of  losing  straw  which  might  otherwise  be  used  as  winter 

roughage. 

Handling  Threshed  Soybeans 

The  method  of  handling  soybean  seed  immediately  after  threshing 
is  important.  Improper  handling  has  caused  the  loss  of  thousands  of 
bushels  of  good  seed.  It  is  not  safe  to  store  soybeans  having  a  high 
moisture  content  in  a  deep  bin.  Soybeans  which  test  more  than  12 
percent  moisture  at  threshing  time  should  be  examined  frequently  if 
stored  in  large  lots.  When  the  moisture  content  exceeds  15  percent, 
they  should  either  be  spread  out  to  permit  frequent  stirring  or  else  be 
put  in  bags  which  can  be  moved  about.  Where  only  small  lots  are 
handled,  the  threshed  beans  are  sometimes  put  into  loosely  woven 
burlap  sacks,  about  1%  bushels  of  seed  to  a  sack.  These  sacks  are 
then  set  in  rows  and  space  left  between  the  rows.  If  the  beans  begin 
to  heat,  they  can  be  stirred  by  inverting  the  sacks,  and  in  this  way 
loss  will  usually  be  avoided.  Soybeans  stored  in  sacks  set  up  in  rows 
have  ample  circulation  of  air  for  drying.  Seed  stored  in  sacks  and 
corded  up  is  susceptible  to  heat  damage  if  the  moisture  content  is  high. 


SOYBEANS  AND  CORN  AS  COMPANION  CROPS 

The  rapid  increase  in  the  acreage  of  soybeans  for  hay  and  seed 
production  has  stimulated  interest  in  the  crop  for  other  purposes.  The 
fact  that  soybean  hay  proved  a  valuable  high-protein  roughage  led 
farmers  to  consider  the  production  and  utilization  of  the  seed  as  a 
substitute  for  the  commercial  concentrates.  Since  these  concentrates 
appeared  to  be  essential  for  economical  pork  production,  the  practice 
of  seeding  soybeans  with  corn,  to  be  pastured  or  hogged-off,  introduced 
the  problems  of  crop  competition  with  a  new  crop. 

The  Department  of  Agronomy  of  this  Station  began  investigations 
in  1915  to  ascertain  the  effect  of  this  companion  cropping  on  the  yields 
of  the  respective  crops.  In  order  to  ascertain  the  best  method  of  plant- 
ing, as  well  as  to  study  the  value  of  the  mixture,  corn  and  soybeans 
were  seeded  in  two  different  ways — checked  and  drilled.  In  the  check- 
rowed  plots  the  corn  was  grown  two  stalks  to  the  hill.  Soybeans  were 
seeded  somewhat  thicker,  to  a  stand  of  approximately  1.5  soybean 
plants  to  one  corn  plant,  or  in  other  words,  three  beans  to  a  hill.  No 
thinning  wa~s  done. 


494 


BULLETIN  No.  310 


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1928]  SOYBEAN  PRODUCTION  IN  ILLINOIS  495 

In  the  drilled  plots  the  corn  was  spaced  approximately  14  inches 
apart,  the  beans  approximately  10  to  12  inches,  in  an  attempt  to  main- 
tain the  same  relative  proportion  of  corn  and  soybean  plants  as  in  the 
check-rowed  plots. 

In  addition  to  studying  the  general  effect  of  soybeans  upon  corn 
when  grown  as  a  companion  crop,  it  seemed  desirable  to  study  the 
effect  of  different  varieties  of  soybeans  on  a  standard  corn-belt  variety 
of  corn,  Reid  Yellow  Dent.  Three  varieties  of  soybeans  were  used  in 
the  trials:  Ebony,  a  medium-maturing  hay  type  of  bean;  Hong  Kong, 
a  medium-late,  rather  large-growing,  general-purpose  bean ;  and  Ito 
San,  a  typical  early  maturing  seed  type  of  bean.  The  different  varieties 
were  sown  at  approximately  the  same  rate. 

Table  10  summarizes  the  yields  of  corn  in  this  experiment  for  the 
six-year  period  1915-1920.  It  will  be  noted  that  Ito  San  did  not  ap- 
pear in  the  trials  until  1917.  Consequently  two  separate  averages  are 
included;  the  one  for  the  entire  six-year  period  includes  only  the  two 
varieties,  Ebony  and  Hong  Kong,  the  other,  covering  the  four-year 
period,  includes  all  three  varieties. 

After  three  years  of  this  experiment  it  was  thought  advisable  to 
ascertain  the  exact  yields  of  the  different  varieties  of  soybeans  when 
grown  in  the  corn  under  both  the  checked  and  the  drilled  systems  of 
planting.  In  harvesting  the  1918  and  1919  crops  comparative  yields 
were  therefore  ascertained  on  representative  plots.  It  is  clear  from 
Table  10  that  the  early  maturing  Ito  San  had  the  least  depressing 
effect  upon  the  yield  of  corn. 

This  yield  is  probably  explained  in  part  by  the  fact  that  it  ma- 
tured its  seed  crop  sufficiently  early  to  have  relatively  little  com- 
petitive effect  upon  the  corn  and  perhaps  also  in  part  by  the  fact  that 
it  had  a  poor  stand.  The  average  yield  of  Ito  San  for  the  two  years, 
as  indicated  in  Table  11,  was  2.8  bushels  an  acre,  with  a  loss  in  corn 
of  only  3.4  bushels.  The  later  varieties,  it  will  be  noted,  produced 
considerably  more  soybeans,  with  a  correspondingly  greater  reduction 
in  corn.  In  the  checked  rows  of  Ebony,  where  7.1  bushels  of  beans 
were  produced,  the  loss  of  corn  amounted  to  7.9  bushels;  while  in  the 
drilled  plots,  where  8.1  bushels  of  beans  were  produced,  an  even 
greater  loss  of  com,  9.1  bushels  an  acre,  occurred.  The  Hong  Kong 
soybean  in  the  checked  plots  produced  6.2  bushels  of  beans,  with  a 
corresponding  reduction  of  8.9  bushels  of  corn,  and  in  the  drilled  plant- 
ings the  losses  were  even  greater. 

The  average  percentage  of  loss  of  all  varieties  for  the  four-year 
period  referred  to  in  Table  10  is  10.17  percent  in  the  checked  plots 
and  4.73  percent  in  the  drilled  plots.  While  these  data,  covering  only 
four  years  of  work  (1917-1920),  cannot  be  considered  final,  they  do 
suggest  that  the  differences  in  the  relative  competition  of  the  different 
varieties  may  offer  a  solution  to  the  problem  of  reducing  losses  that 


496 


BULLETIN  No.  310 


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SOYBEAN  PRODUCTION  IN  ILLINOIS 


497 


result  when  these  two  crops  are  grown  together.  Farmers  who  have 
had  experience  growing  the  two  crops  in  combination  have  observed  a 
reduction  in  corn  yield  but  seem  to  feel  that  the  practice  is  neverthe- 
less a  good  one.  The  fact  that  soybeans  have  a  much  higher  protein 
content  than  corn  has  convinced  some  farmers  that  they  can  well 
afford  to  lose  a  small  percentage  of  the  corn  for  the  corresponding  gain 
in  the  richer  protein  concentrate. 

The  feeder  may  therefore  be  interested  in  seeing  the  production 
figures  appearing  in  Tables  10  and  11  interpreted  in  terms  of  total 
digestible  nutrients,  crude  protein,  and  protein  produced  per  acre.  This 
information  is  given  in  Table  12.  The  amounts  of  total  digestible 
nutrients  and  of  digestible  crude  protein  were  secured  by  applying  to 

TABLE   12. — TOTAL  DIGESTIBLE   NUTRIENTS,   DIGESTIBLE   CRUDE  PROTEIN,  AND 

NET  PROTEIN  PRODUCED  PER  ACRE  BY  CORN  AND  SOYBEANS  AS 

COMPANION  CROPS,  UNIVERSITY  FARM,  URBANA 

(Pounds  per  acre) 


Feed 

Produc- 
tion 
per  acre 

Digestible  nutrients 
per  acre 

Crude  protein 
per  acre 

Net 
protein 

Total 
net 
protein 

Corn 

Soy- 
beans 

Total 

Corn 

Soy- 
beans 

Corn  alone  

3  133.2 

2  657.2 
456.0 

2  741.2 
402.0 

2  858.8 
192.0 

2  685.2 
2  277.2 

2  685.2 

235.0 
199.3 

205.6 
214.4 

136.3 

115.6 
96.9 

119.2 
85.4 

124.4 
40.8 

136.3 
212.5 

204.6 
165.2 

Corn  

Ebony  soybeans.  .  .  . 
Corn  

429.1 

2  706.3 

151.4 

133.5 
'63.7 

2  349.2 

Hong  Kong 
soybeans  

378.3 

2  727.5 

Corn  

2  450.0 

I  to  San  soybeans.  .  . 

180.7 

2  630.7 

the  production  figures  the  analyses  given  by  Henry  and  Morrison.10* 
The  net  protein  was  determined  by  applying  the  biological  values"  de- 
termined by  Mitchell  and  Villegas17*  to  the  figures  for  digestible  crude 
protein. 

It  will  be  noted  that  the  total  digestible  nutrients  per  acre  are  not 
materially  influenced  by  the  introduction  of  soybeans  into  the  corn. 
The  increase  in  crude  protein  produced  per  acre  by  the  combination 
crop,  however,  is  more  marked,  as  shown  by  the  fact  that  the  addi- 
tion of  Ebony  soybeans  resulted  in  a  gain  of  118.36  pounds,  Hong 
Kong  107.13  pounds,  and  Ito  San  70.08  pounds,  when  compared  with 
a  plot  of  corn  grown  alone.  In  further  studies  of  the  biological  value 
of  proteins  in  animal  feeding  Mitchell  and  Villegas17*  found  that  the 
proteins  of  the  combination  ration  of  corn  and  soybeans  was  slightly 
superior  to  either  of  the  proteins  when  fed  alone. 

'The  net  protein  of  a  ration  is  determined  by  multiplying  the  digestible 
crude  protein  by  the  biological  value  of  that  protein.  The  biological  value  of  a 
protein  is  presumed  to  indicate  what  percentage  of  the  digestible  crude  protein 
consumed  by  the  animal  may  be  retained  for  maintenance  and  growth. 


498 


BULLETIN  No.  310 


[June, 


SOYBEAN  VARIETY  STUDIES  IN  ILLINOIS 

The  regular  variety  trials  of  soybeans  were  begun  at  the  Univer- 
sity of  Illinois  in  1906  by  comparing  the  seed  production  of  seven 
varieties  two  of  which  had  little  or  no  value  under  Illinois  conditions. 
The  list  has  been  extended  from  time  to  time  until  by  1926  a  total  of 
about  fifty  different  kinds  had  been  grown  for  more  than  one  year. 
Numerous  varieties  and  strains  which  proved  worthless  are  not  re- 
ported in  this  publication. 

Results  reported  herein  were  obtained  on  the  University  South 
Farm  at  Urbana  and  on  the  northern  Illinois  crop  experiment  field  at 
DeKalb.  For  the  most  part  soybean  variety  trials  at  Urbana  have 
been  conducted  in  the  South-Central  rotation — a  four-year  rotation 
consisting  of  corn,  corn,  corn,  and  soybeans.  The  soil  was  limed  in 
1903  at  the  rate  of  l/2  ton  an  acre.  Rock  phosphate  has  been  applied 
every  four  years  at  the  rate  of  1  ton  an  acre.  A  section  of  plots  has 
been  operated  under  a  grain  system  of  farming  where  crop  residues 
have  been  returned,  while  on  a  corresponding  group  of  plots  repre- 
senting a  livestock  system  farm  manure  has  been  applied. 


TABLE  13.— DEKALB  FIELD:    SOYBEAN  SEED  PRODUCTION 

Annual  yields  of  the  different  varieties  and  their  percentage 

ratings  using  Ito  San  as  the  standard  for  comparison 

(Bushels  per  acre) 


Variety 

1919 

1921 

1923 

1924 

1925 

1926 

Percentage 
rating 

Midwest  

30.9 

152  2 

AK2  

34.0 

127.8 

Ulini  

33.6 

18.6 

126.7 

Manchu  

25.8 

29.5 

18.8 

120.5 

Dunfield  

15.2 

103.4 

Chestnut  

20.4 

28.6 

5.92 

103.2 

AK  

17.0 

16.8 

102.7 

Ebony  

16.2 

25.8 

11.6 

100  8 

Elton  

14  8 

100  7 

Black  Eyebrow  

23.9 

14.0 

25  6 

100  6 

Ito  San  (Medium  Early 
Yellow)  

16.7 

20.3 

16.2 

26.6 

14.7 

100.0 

Sherwood  

15.2 

91.0 

Nuttal1 

15  0 

89  8 

Wisconsin  Black  

24.0 

9.3 

23.1 

89.5 

Wilson  

13.7 

82.0 

Mandarin.  .  . 

13.3 

21.6 

81.5 

'This  variety  no  longer  being  commercially  available  is  omitted  from  the  variety  descriptions. 


SOYBEAN  PRODUCTION  IN  ILLINOIS 


499 


More  recently  variety  trials  have  been  made  in  the  Northwest 
rotation  which  consists  of  potatoes,  corn,  soybeans,  and  alfalfa,  the 
alfalfa  remaining  six  years  on  the  same  series  while  the  other  crops 
rotate  twice.  The  soil  treatment  on  this  rotation  is  the  same  as  that 
indicated  for  the  South-Central  rotation  except  that  heavy  applica- 
tions of  rotted  farm  manure  have  been  made  every  three  years  and 
that  there  are  no  grain-system  plots;  furthermore,  limestone  is  applied 
in  this  rotation  approximately  every  four  years.  The  soil  in  this  field 
would  be  regarded  as  very  productive. 

In  all  variety  trials  reported  the  crop  was  planted  in  rows  28 
inches  apart.  The  seed  was  inoculated  each  year  until  the  crop  had 
appeared  on  all  fields  in  each  rotation  at  least  twice.  The  seeding  has 
been  done  each  year  as  soon  as  corn  planting  was  completed.  This 
means  that  the  average  date  for  these  soybean  seedings  has  been  about 
June  1. 

Performance  of  Varieties  in  Northern  Illinois 

Soybeans  did  not  appear  regularly  in  the  rotation  on  the  northern 
Illinois  experiment  field  at  DeKalb  until  1926.  The  yields  reported 


TABLE  14. — DEKALB  FIELD:    SOYBEAN  SEED  PRODUCTION 

Comparable  average  yields  of  the  different  varieties  using 

Ito  San  as  the  standard  for  comparison 

(Bushels  per  acre) 


Variety 

Number  of 
years  compared 

Years  on  which  comparison 
is  based 

Average  yield 

Ito  San  

5 

1919,  1921,  1923,  1925,  1926. 

18.9 

Ito  San                                        .    . 

3 

1919,  1921,  1923  

17.7 

3 

1919,  1921,  1923  

18.3 

3 

1919    1921,  1923     

17  9 

Ito  San 

3 

1921    1923,  1925           

21  0 

3 

1921,  1923,  1925   

21.2 

3 

1921,  1923,  1925  

18.8 

Ito  San  

3 

1921,  1925,  1926  

20.5 

3 

1921,  1925,  1926  

24.7 

Ito  San  

2 

1919,  1923... 

16.5 

AK 

2 

1919    1923     .              

16  9 

Ito  San 

2 

1923,  1925     .            

21.4 

2 

1923,  1925  

17.5 

Ito  San 

2 

1925,  1926  

20.6 

Illini  

2 

1925,  1926  

26.1 

Ito  San.  .  . 

1 

1925.  .  . 

26.6 

AK2  

1 

1925  

34.0 

Ito  San 

1 

1921                                 

20.3 

1 

1921    

30.9 

Ito  San  

1 

1919   . 

16.7 

Nuttal  

1 

1919  

15.0 

1 

1919                        

15.2 

Wilson  

• 

1919  

13.7 

Ito  San  

1 

1926.  .  . 

14.7 

D  unfit'  Id.  .  .  . 

1 

1926            .            

15.2 

Elton  

1 

1926  

14.8 

500  BULLETIN  No.  310  [June, 

in  Table  13  were  secured,  therefore,  at  irregular  intervals,  soybeans 
having  been  seeded  only  in  years  when  the  alsike  clover  failed. 

The  greatest  difficulty  in  growing  this  crop  at  DeKalb  has  arisen 
from  the  fact  that  in  most  years  frosts  damaged  some  or  all  of  the 
varieties.  During  the  seasons  of  1925  and  1926  attempts  were  made 
to  get  good  seed  of  the  earlier  maturing  strains. 

Seed  Production. — Ito  San,  a  commonly  grown,  early  maturing, 
yellow-seeded  bean,  is  one  of  the  dependable  varieties  for  northern 


FIG.  13. — Two  AND  A  HALF  TONS  OF  EXCELLENT  HAY 
Note  the  dense  growth.    Thick  planting  helps  control  weeds  and  tends 
to  make  a  finer  quality  of  hay. 

Illinois.  It  is  used  as  the  standard  since  it  has  been  grown  thruout 
the  period  of  these  tests  and  is  a  consistent  performer,  having  yielded 
a  yearly  average  of  18.9  bushels  an  acre.  As  the  standard  it  is  given 
a  percentage  rating  of  100  in  the  arrangement  of  results  shown  in 
Tables  13  and  14. 

Black  Eyebrow  has  been  grown  for  three  years.  It  is  an  early 
maturing  bean  that  has  merit  not  only  as  a  seed  producer  but  as  a 
yielder  of  hay,  as  will  be  noted  by  referring  to  Tables  15  and  16. 

Illini  is  an  excellent  seed  producer  at  DeKalb  and  is  also  a  good 
hay  bean.  In  northern  Illinois  it  seems  to  ripen  later  than  Ito  San. 
The  difference  is  not  great,  probably  three  to  five  days.  At  Urbana 
there  is  very  little  difference  in  the  length  of  season  required  for  these 
two  varieties  to  mature. 

An  early  strain  of  Manchu,  commonly  referred  to  as  Illinois 
Manchu,  is  one  of  the  promising  varieties  for  northern  Illinois.  It  is  a 
heavy  yielder  of  seed  in  most  years  but  has  the  disadvantage  of  re- 
quiring the  entire  season  to  mature  a  seed  crop  and  consequently  is 
sometimes  caught  by  frost. 


19281 


SOYBEAN  PRODUCTION  IN  ILLINOIS 


501 


TABLE  15.— DEKALB  FIELD:    SOYBEAN  HAY  PRODUCTION 

Annual  yields  of  the  different  varieties  and  their  percentage 

ratings  using  Ito  San  as  the  standard  for  comparison 

(Tons  per  acre) 


Variety 

1919 

1921 

1923 

1924 

1925 

1926 

Percentage 
rating 

2.62 

192  6 

Wilson 

2.10 

154  4 

Nuttal 

1  91 

140  4 

AK2  

2.85 

119.7 

AK 

1.68 

2.29 

117.5 

1  99 

1.49 

2.22 

114.0 

1  83 

113  0 

1.69 

1.85 

3.19 

111.8 

1.83 

1.59 

2.16 

111.6 

Black  Eyebrow  

1.62 

1.98 

2.57 

102.5 

2.04 

1.95 

2.09 

101.0 

Ito  San  

1.36 

1.62 

2.02 

1.29 

2.38 

100.0 

Mandarin  

1.45 

2.16 

81.8 

Illini  

1.82 

76.5 

TABLE  16.— DEKALB  FIELD:    SOYBEAN  HAY  PRODUCTION 

Comparable  average  yields  of  the  different  varieties,  using 

Ito  San  as  the  standard  for  comparison 

(Tons  per  acre) 


Variety 

Number  of 
years  compared 

Years  on  which  comparison 
is  based 

Average  yield 

Ito  San  

5 

1919,  1921,  1923,  1924,  1925. 

1.73 

Ito  San 

3 

1919,  1921,  1923  

1.67 

3 

1919,  1921,  1923  

1.86 

Ebony  

3 

1919,  1921,  1923  

1.90 

Ito  San  

3 

1921,  1923,  1925  

2.01 

3 

1921,  1923,  1925  

2.03 

3 

1921,  1923,  1925  

2.24 

Black  Eyebrow  

3 

1921,  1923,  1925  

2.06 

Ito  San.  . 

2 

1919,  1923  

1.69 

AK  

2 

1919,  1923  

1.99 

Ito  San  

2 

1923,  1925  

2.20 

2 

1923,  1925  

1.80 

Ito  San 

1 

1925                    

2.38 

AK2                        

1 

1925   

2.85 

Illini  

1 

1925  

1.82 

Ito  San  

1 

1921  .  . 

1.62 

1 

1921                

1.83 

Ito  San 

1 

1919                

1.36 

Nuttal 

1 

1919  

1.91 

1 

1919  

2.62 

Wilson  

1 

1919  

2.10 

Hay  Production. — Varieties  that  mature  late  can  be  grown  in 
northern  Illinois  for  hay,  whereas  it  is  unsafe  to  attempt  to  grow  them 


502  BULLETIN  No.  310  [June, 

for  seed.  The  trials  at  DeKalb  having  been  started  primarily  to  find 
well-adapted  seed-producing  strains,  the  hay  yields  are  no  doubt  be- 
low those  which  could  have  been  secured  had  more  typical  hay  varieties 
of  somewhat  later  maturity  been  selected.  Black  Eyebrow,  Manchu, 
and  Illini  have  been  among  the  better  hay  producers  of  the  early 
beans.  These  varieties  when  thickly  seeded  make  a  satisfactory  yield 
of  a  medium  quality  hay.  Ebony,  Midwest,  and  Peking  while  too  late 
for  seed  production  make  good  hay  yields  under  northern  Illinois  con- 
ditions. 

Performance  of  Varieties  in  Central  Illinois 

Seed  Production. — Ebony  is  used  as  a  standard  at  Urbana  because 
it  is  a  dependable  bean  and  also  because  it  has  been  in  the  trials  for  a 
longer  period  than  any  other  variety  now  grown.  While  it  does  not 
produce  as  high  yields  of  seed  as  some  other  varieties,  it  ranks  well  in 
hay  production  and  has  proved  a  consistent  yielder.  This  variety  is 
therefore  one  of  the  good  general-purpose  beans  for  this  section  of  the 
state.  Of  the  29  varieties  listed  in  Table  17,  only  8  have  proved  su- 
perior to  the  standard  as  seed  producers. 

Elton,  the  highest  yielding  variety  in  the  South-Central  rotation, 
is  a  yellow-seeded  medium-early  bean  which  has  never  proved  com- 
mercially popular.  The  seed  is  large,  the  oil  content  about  average, 
but  the  pods  have  a  distinct  tendency  to  shatter. 

A.  K.,  the  next  highest  producer,  has  been  a  popular  bean  and  is 
still  grown  quite  extensively.  The  objection  to  the  old  type  lies  in  the 
fact  that  it  is  really  a  mixture  of  many  types,  some  early,  some  late, 
some  short,  some  tall.  This  variation  in  growth  and  maturity  makes 


FIG.  14. — A  THIRTY-FOUR  BUSHEL  CROP  OF  ILLINIS  ON  THE  UNIVERSITY 

FABM 

These  beans  were  seeded  at  the  rate  of  40  pounds  to  the  acre,  a  grain 
drill  being  used  and  the  rows  spaced  28  inches  apart.  The  beans  stand 
approximately  36  inches  high. 


1928} 


SOYBEAN  PRODUCTION  IN  ILLINOIS 


503 


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504 


BULLETIN  No.  310 


TABLE  18.— URBAN  A  FIELD:    SOYBEAN  SEED  PRODUCTION 

IN  SOUTH-CENTRAL  ROTATION 

Comparable  average  yields  of  the  different  varieties  using 

Ebony  as  the  standard  for  comparison 

(Bushels  per  acre) 


Variety 

Number  of 
years  compared 

Years  on  which  comparison 
is  based 

Average  yield 

21 

1907-1926  

19.7 

17 

1906-1911,  1915-1925  

19.5 

17 

1906-1911    1915-1925  

19  0 

17 

1909-1911,  1913-1926  

20.8 

17 

1909-1911,  1913-1926  

21  8 

Ebony  

15 

1910-1913,  1915-1918,  1920- 

1926       

20.4 

Hong  Kong  

15 

1910-1913,  1915-1918,  1920- 

1926               

23.8 

14 

1912,  1913,  1915-1926  

20.0 

Elton 

14 

1912   1913   1915-1926  

23.9 

12 

1914-1925  

19.7 

AK  

12 

1914-1925  

23.5 

12 

1906-1911   1913-1918  

17.7 

Guelph 

12 

1906-1911,  1913-1918  

15.7 

8 

1910-1913   1915-1918  

17.7 

g 

1910-1913,  1915-1918  

16.4 

Wilson       

8 

1910-1913,  1915-1918  

17.0 

g 

1919-1926  

23.2 

g 

1919-1926  

22.4 

Ebony  

7 

1910,  1911,  1913,  1915-1918.. 

18.0 

7 

1910,  1911,  1913,  1915-1918.. 

17.3 

7 

1906-1912  

18.4 

7 

1906-1912  

18.7 

6 

1921-1926  

24.4 

6 

1921-1926      

27.8 

6 

1921-1926   

23.4 

5 

1919-1922   1926  

24.7 

5 

1919-1922,  1926  

22.4 

5 

1919-1923   

20.8 

5 

1919-1923  

22.2 

5 

1921-1925  

22.7 

5 

1921-1925  

22.6 

4 

1906-1909  

16.8 

4 

1906-1909  

5.5 

4 

1919-1922  

22.7 

Peking  (Sable) 

4 

1919-1922     

18.1 

3 

1923-1925  

20.7 

Illinois  13-181 

3 

1923-1925   

19.7 

3 

1923-1925  

18.3 

3 

1923-1925  

14.9 

3 

1924-1926  

27.2 

3 

1924-1926  

21.4 

Ebony  

2 

1910,  1911  

23.5 

Jet 

2 

1910,  1911  

23.9 

1 

1926  

32.7 

Wea   . 

1 

1926  

25.7 

Ill  PI  Br  2289 

1 

1926  

26.1 

Illini 

1 

1926  

29.3 

1 

1926              

27.8 

Dunfield  

1 

1926  

28.2 

1928}  SOYBEAN  PRODUCTION  IN  ILLINOIS  505 

harvesting  difficult.  Many  new  strains  selected  from  the  old  A.  K. 
are  now  being  studied  and  some  of  them  are  very  promising. 

Other  good  seed-producing  varieties  in  the  South-Central  rotation 
are:  Hong  Kong,  a  late,  yellow-seeded  bean;  Manchu,  an  early  bean; 
Ilsoy,  a  late  hay  type;  and  Haberlandt,  a  late  seed  bean. 

A  summary  of  the  seed  yields  in  this  rotation  arranged  according 
to  comparable  years  under  test  is  given  in  Table  18.  It  will  be  noted 


FIG.  15. — A  PROMISING  CROP  OF  MANCHUS 

This  plot  was  seeded  at  the  rate  of  41  pounds  to  the  acre  in  28-inch 
rows.  Note  that  it  is  impossible  at  this  stage  of  development  to  distin- 
guish between  the  rows. 

that  Ebony  and  Ito  San  head  the  list  for  number  of  years  grown, 
Ebony  having  been  included  at  Urbana  for  twenty-one  consecutive 
and  Ito  San  having  been  included  for  seventeen  years. 

The  seed  yields  of  the  30  varieties  in  the  Northwest  rotation  are 
given  in  Table  19.  Here,  as  in  the  South-Central  rotation,  Ebony  is 
used  as  a  standard.  The  variety  trials  have  been  somewhat  irregular 
in  this  rotation,  owing  to  the  fact  that  in  several  seasons  Ito  San  was 
grown  on  all  plots  either  for  hay  or  for  seed.  Beginning  in  1921 
variety  studies  were  included  annually  in  this  rotation. 

In  addition  to  Elton,  A.  K.,  Manchu,  and  Hong  Kong,  which 
proved  among  the  highest  yielders  of  seed  in  the  South-Central  rota- 
tion, eight  other  varieties,  Illini,  Dunfield,  Mansoy,  Wea,  Aksarben, 
Morse,  Virginia,  and  Illinois  13-181,  have  proved  higher  than  Ebony. 

A  summary  of  the  seed  yields  in  this  rotation,  based  on  com- 
parable years,  is  given  in  Table  20.  While  considerably  higher  than 
the  yields  in  the  South-Central  rotation,  those  shown  here  are  for  a 
shorter  period  and  probably  do  not  represent  so  well  as  the  South- 
Central  rotation  what  the  average  corn-belt  farm  will  produce. 


506 


BULLETIN  No.  310 


[June, 


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SOYBEAN  PRODUCTION  IN  ILLINOIS 


507 


TABLE  20. — URBANA  FIELD:    SOYBEAN  SEED  PRODUCTION 

IN  NORTHWEST  ROTATION 

Comparable  average  yields  of  the  different  varieties  using 

Ebony  as  the  standard  for  comparison 

(Bushels  per  acre) 


Variety 

Number  of 
years  compared 

Years  on  which  comparison 
is  based 

Average  yield 

Ebony  

8 

1910,  1911,  1917,  1921,  1922, 

27.0 

1924-1926  

4 

1921,  1922,  1925,  1926  

32.4 

4 

1921    1922,  1925,  1926  

26.6 

4 

1922    1924-1926    

28.9 

Wibon  V 

4 

1922    1924-1926  

26.2 

3 

1924-1926      

29.5 

Illini 

3 

1924-1926  

44.0 

Dunfield   

3 

1924-1926  

37.4 

Peking 

3 

1924-1926        

27.9 

3 

1921    1922    1926     

32.4 

3 

1921    1922,  1926  

35.9 

3 

1921,  1922,  1926  

30.2 

Ebony 

3 

1910,  1911,  1917  

21.2 

Elton  

3 

1910,  1911,  1917  

22.3 

Nuttal 

3 

1910   1911,  1917  

22.2 

3 

1910,  1911,  1917  

20.6 

3 

1910,  1911,  1917  

16.9 

3 

1922,  1924,  1925  

27.4 

3 

1922    1924,  1925  

21.8 

Ebony                                       .... 

2 

1910,  1911  

25.5 

2 

1910,  1911  

8.3 

2 

1910   1911     

19.6 

Flat  King 

2 

1910,  1911  

19.9 

Ebony 

2 

1917,  1921  

24.7 

Wilson 

2 

1917,  1921  

24.2 

2 

1921,  1922  

32.0 

Illinois  13-181 

2 

1921,  1922  

33.7 

2 

1921,  1922     

27.7 

2 

1921,  1922  

21.0 

2 

1924-1925   

27.6 

2 

1924-1925  

34.3 

2 

1925-1926  

32.8 

2 

1925-1926  

29.6 

2 

1925-1926    

26.7 

Ebony.  .    .                 ...        ... 

1 

1925.  .  . 

32.1 

1 

1925              

27.7 

AK 

1 

1925   

48.4 

1 

1925                    

29.9 

1 

1926.  .  . 

33.4 

1 

1926        

36.1 

1 

1926  

39.6 

1 

1926  

46.0 

Ilsoy  

1 

1926  

33.2 

Hay  Production. — In  the  South-Central  rotation  nine  varieties, 
Peking,  Meyer,  Hong  Kong,  Morse,  Midwest,  Columbia,  Virginia, 
Ilsoy,  and  Hurrelbrink,  rank  10  percent  higher  than  Ebony  as  hay 
producers  (Table  21).  Peking  and  Virginia  have  the  highest  average 
yields,  2.56  and  2.52  tons  to  the  acre  respectively,  while  the  average 
of  all  nine  better  yielders  for  31  hay  crops  was  2.47  tons  an  acre.  For 
a  summary  of  the  hay  yields  based  on  comparable  years  see  Table  22. 


508 


BULLETIN  No.  310 


[June, 


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1928] 


SOYBEAN  PRODUCTION  IN  ILLINOIS 


509 


TABLE  22.— URBANA  FIELD:    SOYBEAN  HAY  PRODUCTION 

IN  SOUTH-CENTRAL  ROTATION 

Comparable  average  yields  of  the  different  varieties  using 

Ebony  as  the  standard  for  comparison 

(Tons  per  acre) 


Variety 

Number  of 
years  compared 

Years  on  which  comparison 
is  based 

Average  yield 

Ebony  

13 

1914-1926  

1  93 

Ebony  

13 

1914-1926  

1  93 

Elton  

13 

1914-1926  

1  94 

Ebony  

12 

1914-1918,  1920-1926  

1  96 

Hong  Kong  

12 

1914-1918,  1920-1926  

2.38 

Ebony  

12 

1915-1926  

1.96 

12 

1915-1926.  

2  12 

Ebony  . 

11 

1915-1925   

1  95 

Ito  San  

11 

1915-1925  

1  84 

AK  

11 

1915-1925  

2.01 

Ebony  

8 

1919-1926  

2.05 

Hamilton  

g 

1919-1926  

2.08 

Ebony  

6 

1921-1926  

2.21 

6 

1921-1926    

1.83 

Black  Eyebrow  

6 

1921-1926  

1.76 

Ebony  

5 

1921-1925  

2  24 

Virginia  

5 

1921-1925  

2.52 

Ebony  

5 

1919-1923  

2.02 

Ilsoy  

5 

1919-1923  

2.42 

Ebony 

4 

1915-1918 

1  76 

Wilson 

4 

1915-1918    .  .             

1  91 

4 

1915-1918  

1.84 

Meyer  

4 

1915-1918  

2.20 

Guelph       .    . 

4 

1915-1918  .  .              

1  93 

Ebony  

4 

1919-1922  

2.00 

Peking  

4 

1919-1922  

2.56 

Ebony  

3 

1923-1925  

2.12 

Morse  

3 

1923-1925  

2.42 

Columbia  

3 

1923-1925  

2.41 

Illinois  13-181  

3 

1923-1925   

2.28 

Ebony.  .      .        

3 

1924-1926  

2.11 

Hurrelbrink  

3 

1924-1926  I  

2.36 

Ebony  

1 

1926       

2.05 

Aksarben  

1 

1926  

2.20 

111.  PI.  Br.  2289   ... 

1 

1926                

1.99 

Midwest  

1 

1926   

2.41 

Illini  

1 

1926  

1.54 

Dunfield  

1 

1926        

1.53 

Wea  

1 

1926  

1.47 

Straw  Production. — Soybean  straw  is  recognized  as  a  valuable 
roughage  on  most  farms.  Growers  are  interested,  therefore,  in  the 
amount  of  straw  which  different  varieties  will  produce.  This  infor- 
mation for  the  South-Central  rotation  is  given  in  Table  23.  It  will  be 
noted  that  Peking,  Ilsoy,  Morse,  Hong  Kong,  Hurrelbrink,  and  Vir- 
ginia have  produced  from  24  to  45  percent  more  straw  to  the  acre  than 
the  standard,  Ebony.  Some  of  the  high  seed-producers,  notably  A.  K., 
Manchu,  Illini,  and  Elton,  produce  less  straw  than  does  the  standard. 


510 


BULLETIN  No.  310 


[June, 


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1928} 


SOYBEAN  PRODUCTION  IN  ILLINOIS 


511 


TABLE  24.— URBAN  A  FIELD:    SOYBEAN  STRAW  PRODUCTION 

IN  SOUTH-CENTRAL  ROTATION 

Comparable  average  yields  of  the  different  varieties  using  Ebony  as 

the  standard  for  comparison 

(Tons  per  acre) 


Variety 

Number  of 
years  compared 

Years  on  which  comparison 
is  based 

Average  yield 

Ebony  

20 

1907-1926 

1  06 

Ebony  

17 

1909-1911,  1913-1926  

1.11 

Haberlandt  

17 

1909-1911,  1913-1926  

1  30 

Ebony  

16 

1907-1911,  1915-1925   .... 

1  13 

Ito  San  

16 

1907-1911,  1915-1925  

1.03 

Ebony  

15 

1910-1913,  1915-1918,  1920- 

1926  

1.06 

Hong  Kong  

15 

1910-1913,  1915-1918,  1920- 

1926   

1.36 

Ebony  

14 

1912,  1913,  1915-1926  

1.06 

Elton  

14 

1912,  1913,  1915-1926  

1.01 

Ebony.  . 

12 

1914-1925  

1.14 

AK.  

12 

1914-1925  

1.14 

Ebony  

11 

1907-1911,  1913-1918  

1.05 

Guelph  

11 

1907-1911    1913-1918   

.87 

Ebony  

8 

1910-1913,  1915-1918  

1.01 

Meyer  

8 

1910-1913,  1915-1918  

1.36 

Wilson  

8 

1910-1913,  1915-1918  

1.02 

Ebony  

8 

1919-1926   

1.15 

Hamilton  

8 

1919-1926  

1.17 

Ebony  

7 

1910,  1911,  1913,  1915-1918.. 

1.07 

Sherwood  

7 

1910,  1911,  1913,  1915-1918.. 

1.32 

Ebony  

6 

1907-1912  

1.00 

Ambers  t  

6 

1907-1912  

.91 

Ebony  

6 

1921-1926  

1.12 

Manchu  

6 

1921-1926                     

.93 

Black  Eyebrow  

6 

1921-1926   

.91 

Ebony  

5 

1919-1923      

1.18 

Ilsoy  

5 

1919-1923  

1.66 

Ebony  

5 

1921-1925  

1.16 

Virginia  

5 

1921-1925  

1.44 

Ebony  

5 

1919-1922,  1926  

1.10 

Midwest  

5 

1919-1922   1926   .            .... 

1  26 

Ebony  

4 

1919-1922                           .    . 

1  15 

Peking  

4 

1919-1922   

1  67 

Ebony  

3 

1923-1925     .            

1  22 

Morse  

3 

1923-1925  

1.70 

Illinois  13-181  

3 

1923-1925  

1.38 

Columbia  

3 

1923-1925                 

1  27 

Ebony  

3 

1924-1926      .             

1  08 

Hurrelbrink  

3 

1924-1926    

1.35 

Ebony  

3 

1907-1909  

1.01 

Ogemaw  

3 

1907-1909  

.39 

Ebony  

2 

1910,  1911  

1.19 

Jet  

2 

1910   1911     .                ... 

1  05 

Ebony  

1 

1926 

.9 

Aksarben  

1 

1926   

1.1 

Dunfield  

1 

1926  

.9 

Illini  

1 

1926            

.8 

111.  PI.  Br.  2289.  . 

1 

1926  

.8 

Wea  

1 

1926  

.7 

512 


BULLETIN  No.  310 


[June. 


-o    •    -P    -o>p    •    -oo    - 
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1928] 


SOYBEAN  PRODUCTION  IN  ILLINOIS 


513 


A  summary  of  the  straw  yields  in  this  rotation,  based  on  com- 
parable years,  is  given  in  Table  24.  With  most  varieties  a  yield  of 
approximately  one  ton  of  straw  to  the  acre  is  what  may  reasonably  be 
expected. 

In  the  Northwest  rotation  Peking,  Ilsoy,  Morse,  and  Midwest, 
four  varieties  which  show  a  relatively  high  yield  of  straw  on  the  South- 
Central  rotation,  are  from  17  to  31  percent  better  than  the  standard 
(Table  25).  Other  varieties  showing  relatively  high  yields  of  straw 
for  a  period  of  two  or  more  years  are  Lexington,  Arlington,  Aksarben, 
and  Wilson.  For  a  summary  of  yields  based  on  comparable  years  see 
Table  26. 


TABLE  26.— URBAN  A  FIELD:    SOYBEAN  STRAW  PRODUCTION  IN 

NORTHWEST  ROTATION 

Comparable  average  yields  of  the  different  varieties  using  Ebony  as  the 

standard  for  comparison 

(Tons  per  acre) 


Variety 

Number  of 
years  compared 

Years  on  which  comparison 
is  based 

Average  yield 

Ebony  

8 

1910,  1911,  1917,  1921,  1922, 

1924-1926  

1.29 

Ebony  

4 

1922-1926  

1.35 

Wilson  V  

4 

1922-1926  

1.47 

Ebony  

4 

1921,  1922,  1925,  1926  

1.33 

Arlington  

4 

1921,  1922,  1925,  1926  

1.78 

Ebony  .                      .... 

3 

1924-  1926 

1.30 

Peking   

3 

1924-1926      .             

1.64 

Illini  

3 

1924-1926  

1.30 

Dunfield  

3 

1924-1926  

1.24 

Ebony  

3 

1921,  1922,  1926  

1.43 

3 

1921    1922    1926     

1.74 

Columbia  

3 

1921,  1922,  1926  

1.55 

Ebony  

3 

1922-1925   

1.26 

Wisconsin  Black  

3 

1922-1925  

1.40 

Ebony  

3 

1910,  1911,  1917  

1.25 

3 

1910    1911,  1917               

1.29 

Nuttal  

3 

1910,  1911,  1917  

1.19 

Elton 

3 

1910    1911    1917 

1.01 

T  ashing     

3 

1910    1911,  1917           

.82 

Ebony  

2 

1924,  1925      

1.15 

Aksarben  

2 

1924,  1925  

1.53 

Wea.  .              

2 

1924    1925 

1.10 

Ebony  

2 

1925    1926 

1.32 

2 

1925    1926 

1.77 

Midwest  

2 

1925,  1926              

1.55 

Ebony  

2 

1917    1921     .        

.94 

Wilson         

2 

1917    1921 

1.14 

2 

1921    1922 

1.34 

Hurrclbrink  

2 

1921    1922 

1.33 

Illinois  13-181  

2 

1921    1922     

1.14 

2 

1921    1922 

.69 

Ebony  

2 

1910   1911 

1.53 

Flat  King  

2 

1910   1911             

1.24 

Habaro  

2 

1910   1911 

1.17 

Ogemaw  

2 

1910,  1911  

.43 

514  BULLETIN  No.  310  [June, 

Differences  Among  and  Within  Soybean  Varieties 

More  than  two  thousand  varieties  and  strains  of  soybeans  have 
been  studied  and  described  in  the  United  States.  Of  this  list  only  a 
comparatively  few  have  proved  promising.  The  majority  were  new 
introductions  tested  out  by  the  U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture  and 
discarded  after  a  few  years  of  trial  as  of  no  economic  importance. 
Forty-five  varieties  and  more  than  a  hundred  new  strains  have  been 
tested  on  the  experiment  fields  of  the  University  of  Illinois,  and  more 
than  half  of  them  have  been  found  sufficiently  promising  to  justify 
their  continuance  in  the  trials  for  a  time. 

The  determination  of  the  best  variety  for  a  given  region  or  purpose 
is  not  a  simple  task.  Yield  and  maturity  are  naturally  the  most  im- 
portant characteristics,  but  there  are  several  other  considerations,  such 
as  habit  of  growth,  coarseness  of  stem  and  branches,  leafiness,  tendency 
to  retain  foliage,  ease  of  shattering,  and  color  of  seed,  that  must  be 
weighed. 

Varietal  characters  are  always  more  or  less  variable  and  any  de- 
scription of  a  variety  must  be  so  interpreted.  For  example,  maturity 
to  the  inexperienced  grower  frequently  suggests  a  rather  definite  thing, 
105  days  meaning  105  days.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  the  time  necessary 
for  a  variety  to  mature  varies  markedly  according  to  environmental 
conditions.  It  is  perhaps  most  strikingly  affected  by  time  of  planting 
but  is  also  influenced  by  the  different  strains,  by  seasonal  conditions, 
and  by  source  of  seed.  As  an  illustration,  there  are  two  strains  of 
Manchu  grown  at  Urbana,  one  of  which  matures  in  100  to  105  days, 
while  the  other  requires  115  to  120  days. 

Time  for  Maturing. — Soybeans  seeded  in  early  May  will  mature 
somewhat  earlier  than  those  seeded  in  June,  but  the  difference  in  time 
of  maturity  will  not  be  so  great  as  the  difference  in  planting  dates. 
At  the  Tennessee  Station18*  it  was  found,  as  a  result  of  a  two-year 
trial,  that  Mammoth  Yellow,  Midwest,  and  Ito  San  varieties  seeded 
April  2  and  3  required  187,  149,  and  121  days  respectively  to  mature, 
while  the  same  varieties  seeded  July  15  and  16  required  102,  84,  and  84 
days  respectively.  Mammoth  Yellow,  under  Tennessee  conditions, 
performed  rather  consistently  both  years.  The  last  planting,  July  16, 
was  104  days  after  the  first,  April  3,  but  the  first  planting  matured 
only  24  days  sooner.  Neither  Midwest  nor  Ito  San  was  so  consistent 
for  the  two  years.  Midwest  the  first  year  had  a  spread  of  106  days 
at  planting  and  26  days  at  maturity,  in  the  second  year,  104  days  at 
planting  and  63  days  at  maturity.  Ito  San  was  even  more  variable, 
having  a  planting  date  spread  of  103  days  the  first  year  and  a  har- 
vesting variation  of  56  days,  while  the  second  year  the  spreads  were 
104  days  and  74  days  respectively.  These  data  should  not  be  inter- 
preted, however,  as  assurance  that  late-seeded  beans  will  hasten  their 


1928}  SOYBEAN  PRODUCTION  IN  ILLINOIS  515 

maturity  sufficiently  to  be  safe  under  Illinois  conditions.  Furthermore 
it  should  be  pointed  out  in  this  connection  that  late-planted  soybeans 
are,  as  a  rule,  considerably  less  productive  both  of  hay  and  of  seed, 
and  that  the  quality  of  seed  produced  from  a  late-planting  is  likewise 
below  that  for  the  medium  dates  for  planting. 

The  source  of  the  seed  affects  the  time  that  soybeans  mature  in 
much  the  same  manner  that  it  affects  corn.  The  extent  of  such 
variation  will  probably  not  be  so  noticeable  as  with  corn,  but  never- 
theless it  is  important.  Manchu  seed  from  Michigan  compared  with 
the  same  strain  grown  for  a  number  of  years  in  southern  Illinois  will 
usually  be  found  to  be  several  days  earlier  in  maturing. 

Size  of  Seed. — This  is  another  varietal  character  which  is  more  or 
less  variable.  The  size  is  affected  by  the  stand,  the  method  of  planting, 
thoroness  of  inoculation,  freedom  from  weeds,  and  seasonal  conditions 
Thoroly  inoculated  soybeans  will  produce  seed  of  larger  and  better 
quality  than  poorly  inoculated  plants  or  those  not  inoculated  at  all.  A 
variety  of  soybeans  growing  without  weed  competition  will  produce 
a  larger  bean  of  apparently  higher  quality  than  the  same  variety 
handicapped  by  weeds  or  grasses,  even  tho  all  other  conditions  are  the 
same.  Seasonal  conditions  are  also  likely  to  affect  materially  the  size 
of  the  seed.  A  variety  which  requires  practically  all  the  season  to  ripen 
normally  will  have  larger,  plumper  seed  in  years  in  which  the  fall 
months  are  favorable  for  maturity  than  in  years  in  which  cool  weather 
sets  in  earlier  than  normal,  forcing  the  beans  to  hasten  their  maturity. 

Size  of  Stem. — This  characteristic,  like  size  of  seed,  is  affected  by 
the  soil  type,  the  method  and  rate  of  planting,  and  the  competition  of 
weeds  or  companion  crops.  Fertile  soils  tend  to  make  a  coarser  stem 
than  the  medium  to  thin  soils.  Thin  planting  has  the  same  tendency. 
Competition  with  weeds  or  with  companion  crops  tends  to  reduce  the 
size  of  the  stem  and  also  the  number  of  leaves.  While  thick  planting 
may  reduce  the  size  of  the  seed,  it  will  also  reduce  the  size  of  stem, 
thus  improving  the  quality  of  the  hay. 

Erectness  of  Plant. — While  the  richer  soils  have  a  tendency  to 
increase  the  size  of  the  stem  and  the  height  of  the  plant,  plants  grown 
on  the  less  fertile  soils  are  inclined  to  be  somewhat  shorter  and  more 
erect.  Varieties  which  have  a  tendency  to  lean  or  droop,  especially 
on  the  richer  soils,  are  likely  to  exhibit  less  of  this  tendency  when 
grown  on  less  fertile  soils  and  often  would  be  definitely  classed  as  erect. 

Susceptibility  to  Mottling. — Soil  and  climatic  conditions  seem  to 
affect  more  or  less  definitely  this  characteristic.  Some  of  the  yellow- 
seeded  varieties — Ito  San,  Midwest,  Haberlandt,  and  Hurrelbrink — 
seem  to  mottle  much  more  readily  at  Urbana  than  A.  K.,  Illini,  Elton, 
and  Aksarben,  altho  when  seeded  on  the  experiment  fields  of  southern 
Illinois  they  seem  to  produce  seed  which  is  only  slightly  mottled. 


516  BULLETIN  No.  310  [June, 

Choice  oj  Variety. — There  is  no  one  item  in  soybean  production 
more  important  than  the  choice  of  the  variety  to  be  grown.  During 
the  early  period  of  soybean  production  in  this  state  there  were  but  few 
varieties  from  which  a  choice  could  be  made;  now  there  are  many 'and 
it  is  possible  to  find  one  or  more  varieties  for  almost  any  set  of  con- 
ditions. The  U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture  is  constantly  importing 
new  types  from  foreign  lands  and  plant  breeders  are  doing  their  share 
in  creating  new  strains. 

Description  of  Varieties 

In  view  of  the  foregoing  statements  it  undoubtedly  is  clear  that 
one  cannot  expect  a  varietal  description  of  a  soybean  to  agree  in  every 
detail  with  seeds  and  plants  produced  in  widely  different  places  and 
under  varying  conditions  of  soil,  season,  and  culture.  Descriptions 
given  here  apply  primarily  to  the  varieties  as  grown  on  the  University 
South  Farm  at  Urbana.  The  older,  more  common  varieties  have  been 
grown  on  the  South-Central  rotation  at  Urbana,  where  the  soybean  is 
the  only  legume  in  a  four-year  rotation  following  three  years  of  corn. 
The  beans  are  seeded  at  the  rate  of  30  pounds  to  the  acre  in  28-inch 
rows.  The  new  varieties  and  strains  have  been  tested  on  the  North- 
west rotation  in  a  much  more  fertile  soil  and  in  a  better  rotation.  Here 
soybeans  follow  corn  in  a  soybean,  potato,  corn  combination,  these 
crops  being  rotated  twice  and  then  moved  to  an  alfalfa  sod.  As  in  the 
South-Central  rotation,  the  beans  are  grown  in  rows.  The  growth  in 
this  latter  rotation  is  more  vigorous  and  there  is  a  tendency  to  produce 
plants  which  are  coarser  as  well  as  later  in  maturing  but  which  still 
produce  an  excellent  grade  of  seed. 

One  of  the  most  difficult  characters  to  describe  accurately  is  the 
color  of  the  seed  coat  and  hilum  of  the  different  varieties  and  strains. 
A  bean  classed  as  yellow  by  one  investigator  might  be  buff  to  another. 
To  eliminate  this  personal  factor,  the  colors  of  the  various  beans  here 
described  are  based  on  Ridgeway's  "Color  Standards  and  Color 
Nomenclature."  Not  all  color  names  so  applied  are  in  common  usage; 
so  in  order  to  make  them  intelligible  to  those  who  do  not  have  access 
to  Ridgeway's  charts,  a  more  commonly  descriptive  name  of  the  tint 
or  shade,  where  that  seems  to  be  helpful,  is  given  in  parentheses  im- 
mediately following  the  color  name  derived  from  Ridgeway. 

Another  character  usually  referred  to  in  any  seed  description  is 
the  relative  size  of  seed.  This  likewise  is  subject  to  considerable 
variation  according  to  the  observations  of  different  investigators.  Sea- 
sonal conditions,  methods  of  seeding,  and  the  character  of  the  soil,  as 
previously  pointed  out,  also  have  some  influence  on  the  size  of  the 
seed.  In  order  to  eliminate  as  far  as  possible  all  differences  in  size 
except  differences  in  variety,  samples  of  seed  were  used  to  determine 
relative  sizes  produced  in  rows  on  the  South  Farm  at  Urbana  and  the 


1928]  SOYBEAN  PRODUCTION  IN  ILLINOIS  517 

figures  shown  are  the  average  sizes  of  the  crops  of  three  years.  The 
following  arbitrary  standards  for  descriptive  terms  for  size  of  seed 
were  adopted: 

Seeds  per  pound 

Large  seed less  than  2,000 

Medium-large  seed 2,000  to  3,000 

Medium  seed 3,000  to  4,000 

Medium-small  seed 4,000  to  5,000 

Small  seed more  than  5,000 

In  order  to  get  a  more  definite  standard  by  which  the  relative 
amounts  of  mottling  under  Urbana  conditions  could  be  expressed,  ar- 
bitrary percentages  were  established  and  are  used  in  the  variety  de- 
scriptions which  follow.  The  beans  were  divided  into  two  lots;  into 
one  was  placed  the  seed  which  apparently  was  free  from  mottling,  into 
the  other  was  placed  all  seed  which  had  unmistakable  patches  of 
superimposed  pigment.  The  range  in  amounts  of  mottling  allowable 
under  the  several  groupings  was  as  follows: 

Slightly  mottled from    0  to    25  percent 

Moderately  mottled from  26  to    50  percent 

Strongly  mottled from  51  to    75  percent 

Badly  mottled from  76  to  100  percent 

A.  K. 

Adaptation.— Progeny  of  a  commercial  lot  of  beans  imported  from  Man- 
churia in  1912  by  the  Lucas  Paint  Company.  Made  up  of  a  number  of  strains 
varying  in  maturity  from  very  early  (90-day)  to  late  (130-day)  but  averaging  a 
medium-maturing  (110-day)  bean  well  suited  for  both  hay  and  seed  production. 
Appears  best  adapted  to  the  medium-fertile  to  fertile  soils  of  the  central  half  of 
the  state.  Well  suited  for  hogging-off  with  corn  of  medium  maturity.  There  is 
some  shattering  of  the  earlier  maturing  strains  but,  as  a  whole,  this  bean  holds 
the  seed  well.  It  stands  up  well  on  fertile  soils. 

Plant  and  Seed  Characters. — Plants  moderately  erect  as  an  average;  stems 
medium  in  size;  leaves  vary  in  size  and  texture  in  different  strains;  pubescence 
both  tawny  and  gray;  flowers  both  purple  and  white,  varying  with  the  different 
strains  which  make  up  the  composite;  pods  vary  in  color,  ranging  from  brown  to 
gray;  seed  size  ranges  from  small  to  medium-large  (averaging  2,751  per  pound), 
shape  oblong  to  spherical;  seed  coat  cream  buff  to  cream,  only  slightly  mottled 
under  Urbana  conditions,  hilum  varies  from  cream  color  thru  various  shades  of 
brown  to  slate  black;  cotyledons  yellow.  An  area  of  irregular  shape  and  size 
and  of  a  shade  (chamois)  somewhat  darker  than  the  seed  coat  is  frequently  noted 
on  the  back. 

Aksarben 

Adaptation. — Introduced  from  Eakumen,  Manchuria,  by  U.S.D.A.  in  1913. 
Found  to  be  a  medium-early  (105-day)  seed  type  of  bean.  Well  adapted  to  the 
medium-fertile  soils  of  central  and  northern  Illinois.  Well  suited  for  hogging-off 
with  early  corn.  At  maturity  inclined  to  lose  considerable  seed  by  shattering. 

Plant  and  Seed  Characters. — Plants  erect;  stems  rather  large;  leaves  me- 
dium size;  pubescence  gray;  flowers  both  purple  and  white;  pods  yellowish  or 
straw  color,  well  distributed  along  the  stem;  seed  medium-large  (2,388  per  pound), 
oblong  to  almost  spherical  in  shape;  seed  coat  colonial  buff  (pale  orange-yellow) 


518  BULLETIN  No.  310  [June, 

to   cream  buff,   moderately   mottled   under  Urbana  conditions;    hilum   pinkish 
cinnamon  to  cinnamon;  cotyledons  yellow. 

Amherst 

Adaptation. — Amherst  was  one  of  the  early  soybean  importations,  having 
been  first  brought  to  this  country  by  the  U.S.D.A.  in  1900  from  Tokio,  Japan; 
a  second  lot  from  the  same  source  followed  the  next  year.  This  is  a  medium- 
late  (125-day)  seed  type  of  bean  which  appeared  to  be  adapted  to  the  fertile 
soils  of  central  Illinois  but  was  dropped  in  1912  after  having  failed  for  six  years 
to  exhibit  any  special  merit. 

Plant  and  Seed  Characters. — Plants  stout,  erect,  bushy;  leaves  relatively 
large;  pubescence  tawny;  flowers  purple;  pods  tawny  and  tending  to  be  crowded 
or  bunched  in  central  zone  of  plant;  seed  medium  size  (2,850  per  pound),1  oblong, 
and  much  flattened;  seed  coat  straw  yellow  in  color;  hilum  dark  brown;  coty- 
ledons yellow. 

Arlington 

Adaptation^ — Introduced  by  the  U.S.D.A.  from  Paotingfu,  China,  in  1908. 
Under  Illinois  conditions  it  is  a  medium-late  (125-day)  bean  of  a  hay  type,  well 
adapted  to  the  medium-poor  to  poor  soils  of  south-central  and  southern  Illinois. 
Is  probably  too  late  for  dependable  seed  production  north  of  the  Terre  Haute- 
St.  Louis  line.  At  maturity  it  is  likely  to  lodge  badly  on  rich  soils  but  on  poorer 
soils  stands  satisfactorily. 

Plant  and  Seed  Characters. — Plants  moderately  erect,  stems  small  and  tend- 
ing to  twine  at  the  tips;  leaves  medium  in  size;  pubescence  both  tawny  and 
gray;  flowers  both  purple  and  white,  varying  with  the  different  strains  which,  in 
commercial  stocks,  usually  are  mixed ;  pods  brown  and  well .  distributed  from 
near  base  to  near  tip  of  plant;  seed  small  (5,292  per  pound),  oblong,  and  much 
flattened;  seed  coat  black;  hilum  dusky  purplish  gray;  cotyledons  yellow. 

Black  Eyebrow 

Adaptation. — Introduced  from  Wulukai,  Manchuria  in  1911.  Has  proved 
a  medium-early  (105-day)  seed  type  of  bean  well  adapted  to  the  corn-belt  soils 
of  central  and  northern  Illinois.  An  excellent  variety  for  hogging-off  with  early 
corn,  and  in  northern  Illinois  makes  satisfactory  yields  of  seed  or  hay.  At  ma- 
turity is  inclined  to  hold  the  seed  well  and  does  not  lodge  so  badly  as  some 
varieties. 

Plant  and  Seed  Characters. — Plants  medium-erect ;  stems  rather  large ;  leaves 
medium  size;  pubescence  tawny;  flowers  both  purple  and  white,  varying  with  the 
different  strains  which  appear  to  be  mixed  in  the  commercial  stock;  pods  brown; 
seed  medium-large  (2,291  per  pound) ;  seed  coat  peculiarly  marked,  having  a 
black  saddle  of  irregular  proportions  over  a  seed  coat  which  varies  from  pinkish 
buff  (pale  orange-yellow)  thru  tawny  olive  (darker  orange-yellow) ;  hilum  a 
dusky  purplish  gray,  almost  black;  cotyledons  yellow. 

Chestnut 

Adaptation. — Selected  in  1907  at  the  Arlington  Experiment  Farm  from  the 
Habaro  variety  introduced  by  the  U.S.D.A.  the  previous  year.  A  medium-early 
(105-day)  seed  type  of  bean  adapted  to  seed  and  early  hay  production  in  northern 
Illinois  but  not  so  good  a  seed  producer  under  central  Illinois  conditions  as  a 
number  of  other  varieties. 

Plant  and  Seed  Characters. — Plants  stout,  erect,  and  bushy;  leaves  medium 
size;  pubescence  tawny;  flowers  purple;  pods  tawny  and  tending  to  be  crowded 

Supplied  by  W.  J.  Morse,  U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture. 


1928]  SOYBEAN  PRODUCTION  IN  ILLINOIS  519 

or  bunched  in  central  zone  of  plant;  seed  medium  size  (2,560  per  pound),  oblong 
and  slightly  flattened;  seed  coat  Brussels  brown  (yellowish  orange)  to  Argus 
brown  (darker  orange  brown) ;  hilum  bone  brown  (dark  reddish  brown)  to  Natal 
brown  (slightly  reddish  brown) ;  cotyledons  yellow. 

Columbia 

Adaptation. — Introduced  by  the  U.S.DA.  from  Poatingfu,  China,  in  1908. 
A  medium-late  (125-day)  hay  type  well  adapted  to  soils  of  medium  to  low 
fertility.  Will  mature  a  satisfactory  seed  crop  in  southern  Illinois  and  is  a  good 
hay  variety  in  the  central  part  of  the  state.  On  rich  soils  is  inclined  to  lodge 
readily. 

Plant  and  Seed  Characters. — Plants  of  a  twining  type;  stems  small;  leaves 
medium-small ;  pubescence  gray ;  flowers  both  purple  and  white ;  pods  grayish  and 
well  distributed  along  the  stem;  seed  medium-small  (4,720  per  pound),  oblong 
and  somewhat  flattened  in  shape;  seed  coat  chrysolite  to  jade  green  (from  light 
to  dark  greenish  yellow),  moderately  mottled  under  Urbana  conditions;  hilum 
blackish  brown;  cotyledons  green. 

Dunfield 

Adaptation. — Introduced  by  the  UJ3.D.A.  from  Pauchiatun  Station,  Man- 
churia, in  1913.  A  medium-early  (105-day)  bean,  apparently  quite  satisfactory 
for  both  hay  and  seed  production,  well  adapted  to  the  medium-fertile  to  fertile 
soils  of  the  corn  belt.  Well  suited  for  hogging-off  with  early  corn.  Stands  up 
well  at  maturity  and  does  not  lose  seed  readily. 

Plant  and  Seed  Characters. — Plants  moderately  erect;  stems  and  leaves 
medium  size ;  pubescence  gray ;  flowers  both  purple  and  white ;  pods  brown ;  seed 
medium-large  (2,750  per  pound),  oblong  to  almost  spherical  in  shape;  seed  coat 
cream  buff  (pale  orange-yellow);  hilum  sorghum  brown;  cotyledons  yellow. 

Ebony 

Adaptation. — One  of  the  early  importations  of  the  present  common  va- 
rieties, having  been  introduced  by  the  UJ3.D.A.  from  Pingyang,  Korea,  in  1901. 
A  medium-maturing  bean  (120-day)  of  a  type  well  suited  to  either  seed  or  hay 
production  and  adapted  to  a  wide  range  of  soils  from  southern  to  northern  Illi- 
nois. Is  one  of  the  oldest  and  most  widely  known  varieties  in  the  state.  Its 
wide  distribution  and  popularity  is  probably  due  more  to  its  dependability  under 
all  conditions  than  to  superiority  or  excellence  in  any  other  single  character. 

Plant  and  Seed  Characters. — Plants  moderately  erect,  bushy;  stems  small; 
leaves  medium-large;  pubescence  tawny;  flowers  both  purple  and  white;  pods 
brown  and  tending  to  be  clustered  in  the  central  zone  of  the  plant;  seed  me- 
dium-small (3,810  per  pound)  almost  spherical  in  shape;  seed  coat  black;  hilum 
dark  puplish  gray;  cotyledons  yellow. 

Elton 

Adaptation. — Another  of  the  early  introductions,  having  been  brought  in 
from  Khabarovsk,  Siberia,  by  the  U.S.D.A.  in  1906.  A  medium-early  (110-day) 
bean  of  a  seed-producing  type,  apparently  best  adapted  to  the  medium-fertile  to 
fertile  soils  of  central  and  northern  Illinois.  Is  satisfactory  wherever  a  relatively 
early  variety  is  wanted.  Stands  well  but  shatters  considerably  after  maturity. 

Plant  and  Seed  Characters. — Plants  stout  and  erect;  stems  medium-large; 
leaves  large;  pubescence  gray;  flowers  purple;  pods  tawny,  seeds  medium-large 
(2,398  per  pound),  oblong,  slightly  flattened  in  shape;  seed  coat  pinkish  buff 
(pale  orange-yellow)  and  moderately  mottled  under  Urbana  conditions;  hilum 
slightly  darker  in  color  than  the  seed  coat;  cotyledons  yellow. 


520  BULLETIN  No.  310  [June, 

Guelph 

Adaptation. — One  of  the  early  importations  brought  in  from  Japan  in  1889 
by  W.  P.  Brooks,  Massachusetts  Agricultural  Experiment  Station.  Proved  to  be 
a  medium-maturing  (115-day)  bean  of  a  seed  type  adapted  to  medium-fertile  to 
fertile  soils.  Is  not  so  generally  grown  now  as  it  was  a  few  years  ago.  Has  the 
disadvantage  of  shattering  badly  when  ripe  and  consequently  is  not  especially 
desirable  for  seed  production.  Widely  used  for  hay  several  years  ago  but  has 
gradually  been  supplanted  by  more  desirable  types. 

Plant  and  Seed  Characters. — Plants  erect  and  bushy;  stems  coarse;  leaves 
large ;  pubescence  tawny ;  flowers  purple ;  pods  brown  and  tending  to  be  clustered 
in  the  central  zone  of  the  plant;  seed  medium  size  (2,483  per  pound),1  oblong, 
and  somewhat  flattened;  seed  coat  deep  chrysolite  (yellowish)  green  to  jade 
green  in  color,  moderately  mottled  under  Urbana  conditions;  hilum  purple  drab 
to  dusky  brown;  cotyledons  green. 

Habaro 

Adaptation. — Introduced  by  the  ILS.D.A.  in  1906  from  Khabarovsk,  Siberia. 
A  medium-early  (105-day)  bean  of  a  seed-producing  type  adapted  to  the  medium- 
fertile  to  fertile  corn-belt  soils.  Primarily  a  seed  producer,  maturing  readily  in 
the  central  and  northern  portions  of  the  state;  adapted,  therefore,  to  seeding 
with  early  corn  for  hogging-off. 

Plant  and  Seed  Characters. — Plants  erect  and  bushy;  stems  rather  large  and 
coarse;  leaves  medium  size;  pubescence  both  tawny  and  gray;  both  purple  and 
white  flowered  plants  are  to  be  found  in  the  mixed  population;  pods  also  are 
of  two  colors,  tawny  and  gray;  seed  medium  size  (3,136  per  pound),1  oblong, 
slightly  flattened;  seed  coat  cream  color;  hilum  deep  brownish  drab;  cotyledons 
yellow. 

Haberlandt 

Adaptation. — Another  of  the  old  varieties,  having  been  introduced  from 
Pingyang,  Korea,  by  the  U.S.D.A.  in  1901.  A  medium-late  (125-day)  seed  type 
of  bean,  which  seems  well  adapted  to  medium-poor  to  poor  soils.  Satisfactory  as 
a  seed  producer  in  southern  Illinois  and  is  rather  generally  used  there  for  hogging- 
off  with  corn,  as  it  stands  up  well  and  does  not  shatter  readily  when  ripe.  Too 
late  in  maturing  to  be  safe  for  seed  production  much  north  of  a  line  drawn 
across  the  state  from  Terre  Haute  to  St.  Louis. 

Plant  and  Seed  Characters. — Plants  erect  and  bushy;  stems  and  leaves 
large,  rather  coarse;  pubescence  tawny;  pods  brown  and  borne  in  clusters  in  the 
central  portion  of  the  plant;  seed  medium-large  (2,372  per  pound),  oblong, 
slightly  flattened;  seed  coat  maize  yellow  in  color,  considerably  mottled  under 
Urbana  conditions;  hilum  dark  grayish  brown  and  cotyledons  yellow.  Much  of 
the  commercial  seed  of  this  variety  includes  both  purple-flowered  and  white- 
flowered  strains. 

Hamilton 

Adaptation. — A  pure-line  selection  made  by  the  Ohio  Experiment  Station 
in  1909  from  a  large,  brown,  late-maturing  variety  secured  from  the  UJS.D.A. 
under  number  23.  A  medium-late  (125-day)  seed  type  which  seems  to  be  well 
adapted  to  both  medium-fertile  and  poor  soils.  Well  suited  to  seed  production 
in  southern  Illinois.  Generally  used  in  that  section  for  hogging-off  with  corn,  as 
it  stands  up  well  and  does  not  shatter  readily  when  ripe. 

Plant  and  Seed  Characters. — Plants  stout,  erect,  and  bushy;  stems  and 
leaves  large  and  rather  coarse;  pubescence  tawny;  flowers  purple;  pods  brown, 

JFurnished  by  Morse. 


1928}  SOYBEAN  PRODUCTION  IN  ILLINOIS  521 

tending  to  be  grouped  in  clusters  in  central  zone  of  plant;  seed  medium-large 
(2,645  per  pound),  oblong,  and  somewhat  flattened;  seed  coat  tawny  olive  to 
brown;  hilum  a  dark  purple  drab;  cotyledons  yellow. 

Hong  Kong 

Adaptation. — One  of  the  older  importations,  having  been  introduced  by  the 
U.S.D.A.  from  Hong  Kong,  China,  in  1908.  A  medium-maturing  (120-day) 
variety  which  seems  well  adapted  to  either  seed  or  hay  production.  Has  been 
grown  at  Urbana  since  1910.  Has  proved  itself  one  of  the  high  yielders  of  seed 
as  well  as  hay.  Seems  best  adapted  to  fertile  soils.  Has  the  disadvantage  of 
lodging  considerably  on  fertile  soils  and  of  losing  its  leaves  rather  early. 

Plant  and  Seed  Characters. — Plants  stout  and  moderately  erect;  stems  and 
leaves  large  and  rather  coarse;  pubescence  both  tawny  and  gray;  flowers  both 
purple  and  white;  pods  tawny  and  crowded  or  bunched  in  central  zone  of  plant; 
seed  medium-large  (2,833  per  pound),  oblong,  and  slightly  flattened;  seed  coat 
colonial  buff  (pale  orange-yellow)  to  cream  buff  and  moderately  mottled  under 
Urbana  conditions;  hilum  walnut  brown  (light  red-brown)  to  chocolate  brown; 
cotyledons  yellow. 

Hurrelbrink 

Adaptation. — Probably  a  selection  of  Haberlandt  made  in  1902  by  Frank 
Hurrelbrink  of  Taylorville,  Christian  county,  111.  A  medium-late  (125-day)  seed 
type  of  bean  which  seems  well  adapted  to  soils  of  medium  to  low  fertility.  Well 
suited  for  seed  production  in  south-central  and  southern  Illinois.  Generally  con- 
sidered to  be  especially  adapted  for  growing  in  corn  to  hog-off  because  it  stands 
up  well  and  does  not  shatter  readily  when  ripe. 

Plant  and  Seed  Characters. — Plant  characters  closely  resemble  those  of 
Haberlandt.  Seed  is  medium-large  (2,890  per  pound),  slightly  elliptical  to  almost 
spherical  in  shape;  seed  coat  cream  buff  in  color  and  considerably  mottled  at 
Urbana;  hilum  burnt  umber  (dark  red-brown);  cotyledons  yellow. 

Illini 

Adaptation. — A  pure-line  selection  made  at  the  University  of  Illinois  from 
the  A.  K.  variety.  Has  proved  a  medium-early  (105-day)  seed  type  of  bean  in 
trials  at  Urbana  and  Alhambra.  At  DeKalb,  however,  it  has  not  matured  early 
enough  to  warrant  its  being  recommended  for  that  section.  Would  appear  to  be 
best  adapted  to  central  and  southern  parts  of  the  state. 

Plant  and  Seed  Characters. — Plants  moderately  erect  to  erect;  stems  me- 
dium in  size;  pubescence  gray;  flowers  white;  pods  yellow  to  light  brown;  seed 
coat  straw  yellow  to  amber  yellow,  only  slightly  mottled  under  Urbana  condi- 
tions; hilum  walnut  brown;  cotyledons  yellow;  seeds  medium  size  (2,864  per 
pound),  oblong  to  round. 

Illinois  13-181 

Adaptation. — A  pure-line  selection  made  at  University  of  Illinois  in  1913 
from  a  plant  found  growing  in  a  field  of  Ebony.  A  medium-late  (125-day) 
variety.  In  yield  tests  on  the  Agronomy  South  Farm  it  has  compared  very 
favorably  with  the  best  standard  varieties  commonly  grown  in  central  Illinois. 

Plant  and  Seed  Characters. — Habit  of  growth  erect  and  bushy,  with  rather 
thick,  heavy  stems.  Pubescence  tawny;  flowers  purple;  pods  brown;  seed 
medium  size  (2,841  per  pound);  seed  coat  green;  hilum  dark  brown;  cotyledons 
yellow.  Has  a  strong  tendency  to  mottle.  Pods  borne  comparatively  high.  A 
good  seed  type. 


522  BULLETIN  No.  310  [June, 

Ilsoy  (Illinois  13-19) 

Adaptation. — A  pure-line  selection  originating  from  a  plant  found  growing 
in  a  field  of  Ebony  at  the  University  of  Illinois  in  1913.  Has  been  known  for  a 
number  of  years  as  Illinois  13-19.  A  medium-late  (122-day)  hay  type  of  bean 
resembling  the  Virginia  in  habit  of  growth.  Appears  to  be  best  adapted  to  con- 
ditions and  soils  in  southern  Illinois. 

Plant  and  Seed  Characters. — Plants  viney  and  with  tendency  to  lodge; 
stems  slender,  becoming  twining  at  the  tips;  pubescence  tawny;  flowers  purple; 
pods  brown  and  well  distributed  along  the  stem;  seed  medium  size  (3,052  per 
pound),  oblong,  and  flattened;  seed  coat  Brussels  brown  (yellowish  brown)  in 
color;  hilum  carob  (dark  reddish  brown)  to  Chestnut  brown;  cotyledons  yellow. 

Ito  San 

Adaptation. — One  of  the  first  commercially  important  soybeans;  introduced 
by  the  Kansas  Station  in  1890.  A  medium-early  (105-day)  seed  type  of  bean 
well  adapted  to  the  medium-fertile  to  fertile  soils  of  central  and  northern  Illinois. 
Is  probably  best  suited  for  seed  production  and  for  hogging-off  with  an  early 
corn.  Has  the  disadvantage  of  shattering  somewhat  when  mature. 

Plant  and  Seed  Characters. — Plants  erect,  busily;  stems  medium  large; 
pubescence  tawny;  flowers  purple;  pods  brown  and  grouped  in  clusters  in  the 
central  and  lower  zones  of  the  plant;  seed  medium-large  (2,616  per  pound),  ob- 
long to  almost  spherical  in  shape;  seed  coat  Naples  yellow  (light  yellow-orange), 
moderately  mottled  under  Urbana  conditions;  hilum  slightly  darker  than  seed 
coat,  with  a  brown  spot  near  one  end;  cotyledons  yellow. 

Jet 

Adaptation. — Among  the  early  soybean  importations,  having  been  brought 
in  by  the  U.S.D.A.  from  Sachow,  China,  in  1906.  A  medium-maturing  (115- 
day)  hay  type  of  bean,  which  was  best  adapted  to  the  medium-fertile  soils  of  the 
corn  belt  altho  it  produced  satisfactory  hay  crops  on  poor  soils.  The  Jet  was  a 
hay  bean  of  some  promise  but  because  it  was  mixed  and  ranked  only  fair  as  a 
seed  producer  it  lost  favor  over  the  corn  belt. 

Plant  and  Seed  Characters. — Plants  slender,  tending  to  twine  and  with  a 
distinct  tendency  to  droop;  leaves  small;  pubescence  both  brown  and  gray; 
flowers  both  purple  and  white;  pods  brown;  seed  medium-small  (3.760  per 
pound),1  oblong,  and  much  flattened;  seed  coat  black  in  color;  hilum  deep 
purplish  gray  with  a  brown  line  thru  it ;  cotyledons  yellow.  The  commercial  seed 
of  this  variety  seems  to  be  made  up  of  at  least  two  different  strains. 

Lexington 

Adaptation. — Selected  in  1907  at  the  Arlington  Experiment  Farm  from  the 
Sherwood  variety  introduced  the  previous  year  by  the  U.S.D.A.  A  medium-late 
(125-day)  hay  type  of  bean  adapted  to  production  in  south-central  and  southern 
Illinois.  Under  central  Illinois  conditions  it  is  too  late  for  safe  seed  production. 

Plant  and  Seed  Characters. — Plants  medium  stout,  tending  to  be  erect ;  leaves 
bushy  and  of  medium  size;  pubescence  gray;  flowers  both  purple  and  white; 
pods  grayish  and  well  distributed;  seed  small  (4,440  per  pound),  oblong  with  a 
slight  tendency  to  flatten;  seed  coat  olive  yellow  to  deep  colonial  buff  (deep  buff 
with  a  very  slightly  greenish  tint) ;  hilum  sorghum  to  Hays  brown  (red  brown  to 
a  lighter  reddish  brown) ;  cotyledons  yellow. 

Mammoth  Yellow 

Adaptation. — One  of  the  early  importations,  but  exact  date  and  origin  seems 
somewhat  indefinite.  A- late-maturing  (140-day)  seed  type  of  bean  adapted  to  a 


'Furnished  by  Morse. 


1928}  SOYBEAN  PRODUCTION  IN  ILLINOIS  523 

wide  range  of  soil  conditions.  Will  mature  a  seed  crop  in  an  average  season  in 
the  southern  two  tiers  of  counties  in  Illinois.  A  fairly  satisfactory  hay  variety 
in  this  region  and  in  most  seasons  is  satisfactory  as  far  north  as  Terre  Haute, 
Effingham,  and  St.  Louis  as  a  hay  crop  and  to  grow  with  late  corn  for  silage. 

Plant  and  Seed  Characters. — Plants  erect,  bushy;  stems  large  and  coarse; 
leaves  medium  size;  pubescence  gray;  flowers  white;  pods  straw  yellow;  seed 
medium-large  (2,145  per  pound),1  almost  spherical  in  shape;  seed  coat  cream 
buff;  hilum  fawn  color  to  bone  brown  (light  to  dark  brown);  cotyledons  yellow. 

Manchu 

Adaptation. — Imported  from  Ninguta,  Manchuria  in  1911,  has  come  to  be 
one  of  the  most  popular  beans  of  the  corn  belt.  A  medium-early  (105-day)  bean 
of  a  seed-producing  type,  well  adapted  to  the  medium-fertile  to  fertile  corn-belt 
soils  of  central  and  northern  Illinois.  Well  suited  for  hogging-off  with  early  corn. 
At  maturity  this  variety  holds  the  seed  well.  It  is  inclined  to  lodge  especially 
on  rich  land. 

Plant  and  Seed  Characters. — Plants  moderately  erect,  bushy;  stems  rather 
large;  leaves  medium-large  and  coarse;  pubescence  tawny;  flowers  both  purple 
and  white  varying  with  different  strains;  pods  brown  and  well  distributed  from 
near  the  base  to  the  very  tip  of  the  plant;  seed  medium-large  (2,555  per  pound), 
oblong  to  almost  spherical  in  shape;  seed  coat  colonial  buff  (yellowish  orange), 
only  slightly  mottled  under  Urbana  conditions;  hilum  usually  slate,  altho  some 
commercial  strains  have  a  small  percentage  with  a  brown  hilum;  cotyledons 
yellow. 

Mandarin 

Adaptation. — Introduced  from  Peh-tuan-luitza,  Manchuria,  in  1911  by  U.S. 
D.A.  An  early  (100-day)  seed  type  of  bean,  well  adapted  to  medium-fertile  to 
fertile  soils.  A  satisfactory  seed-producer  in  extreme  northern  Illinois,  where  it 
will  mature  a  crop  practically  every  year;  in  fact,  this  variety  is  sometimes  ob- 
jected to  because  it  is  too  early  for  Illinois  conditions. 

Plant  and  Seed  Characters. — Plants  erect,  bushy;  stems  and  leaves  medium 
size;  pubescence  gray;  flowers  purple;  pods  gray;  seed  medium-large  (2,900  per 
pound),1  almost  spherical  in  shape;  seed  coat  pinkish  buff  (pale  orange-yellow); 
hilum  a  light  clay  (darker  orange-yellow)  to  warm  sepia  (brown) ;  cotyledons 
yellow. 

Mansoy 

Adaptation. — A  pure-line  selection  of  the  Manchu  made  by  U.S.D.A.  at 
Arlington  Experiment  Farm,  Virginia.  Has  proved  to  be  a  medium-maturing 
(115-day)  bean  in  the  trials  carried  on  for  the  past  three  years.  Is  a  seed  type, 
producing  heavy  crops  of  seed  in  the  central  and  south-central  Illinois.  In  north- 
ern Illinois  it  is  too  late  for  seed  but  is  adapted  for  hay,  pasture,  and  ensilage. 
Breeds  true  for  the  black  hilum  characteristic,  a  thing  never  before  commercially 
available. 

Plant  and  Seed  Characters. — Plants  moderately  erect  to  erect,  bushy;  stems 
rather  large,  leaves  medium-large  and  coarse;  pubescence  tawny;  flowers  purple; 
pods  brown  and  well  distributed  from  near  the  base  to  the  very  tip  of  the  plant; 
seed  medium-large  (2,450  per  pound),  slightly  oblong  to  almost  spherical;  seed 
coat  colonial  buff  (yellowish  orange)  and  only  slightly  mottled  under  Urbana 
conditions;  hilum  slate  color;  cotyledons  yellow. 
Midwest 

Adaptation. — Apparently  identical  with  Medium  Yellow,  Mongol,  Roosevelt, 
and  the  corn-belt  variety  known  as  Hollybrook.  Introduced  from  central  China 

burnished  by  Morse. 


524  BULLETIN  No.  310  [June, 

in  1901  by  U.S.D.A.  A  medium  to  medium-late  (120-day)  bean  which  seems 
best  adapted  to  the  fertile  corn-belt  soils.  For  a  time  was  one  of  the  most 
popular  all-purpose  beans  in  Illinois.  Its  decline  in  popularity  was  no  doubt 
due  to  the  fact  it  was  too  late  for  a  safe  seed  crop  and  was  not  as  good  a  yielder 
of  seed  as  some  of  the  newer  varieties  and  strains.  Is  still  favorably  regarded 
by  many  farmers  and  widely  grown  for  silage  and  hay  and  in  corn  for  hogging- 
off. 

Plant  and  Seed  Characters. — Plants  erect,  bushy;  stems  medium  to  medium- 
large;  leaves  large;  pubescence  tawny;  flowers  purple;  pods  tawny  and  more  or 
less  clustered  along  the  central  to  lower  zones  of  the  stem;  seeds  medium  in  size 
(3,604  per  pound),  oblong,  slightly  flattened;  pinkish  buff  in  color,  badly  mottled 
when  grown  at  Urbana;  hilum  color  varies  from  Mikado  brown  (light  brown)  to 
a  warm  sepia  (dark  brown) ;  cotyledons  yellow. 

Morse 

Adaptation. — Introduced  from  Newchwang,  Manchuria,  in  1913  by  U.S.D.A. 
A  medium-late  (125-day)  bean  of  a  type  well  suited  to  either  seed  or  hay.  Does 
unusually  well  on  poor  soils  and  makes  excellent  yields  of  both  hay  and  seed  on 
medium-fertile  soils.  Considering  its  time  of  maturing  and  its  yield  of  seed  it 
probably  is  best  adapted  to  south-central  and  southern  Illinois.  Probably  the 
most  serious  criticism  that  can  be  made  of  this  bean  is  that  it  lodges  badly,  espe- 
cially on  the  better  soils. 

Plant  and  Seed  Characters. — Plants  medium-erect,  bushy;  stems  large;  leaves 
large;  pubescence  gray;  flowers  both  purple  and  white;  pods  gray;  seed  medium 
size  (3,172  per  pound),  elliptical  in  shape;  seed  coat  lime  green  (yellowish  green), 
moderately  mottled  when  grown  at  Urbana;  hilum  fawn  color;  cotyledons  yellow. 

Ogemaw 

Adaptation. — One  of  the  early  soybeans  brought  into  the  Middle  West,  hav- 
ing been  introduced  in  1902  by  E.  E.  Evans  of  West  Branch,  Michigan.  A  very 
early  (90-day)  bean  of  a  seed  type,  adapted  to  medium-fertile  to  fertile  soils;  is 
too  early  for  most  northern  Illinois  conditions.  Sometimes  used  for  an  early 
seed  crop  or  to  plant  with  an  extra-early  corn  such  as  Minnesota  13  for  hogging- 
off. 

Plant  and  Seed  Characters. — Plants  stout,  erect,  bushy;  stems  medium- 
large;  pubescence  tawny;  flowers  white;  pods  brown  and  produced  in  clusters; 
seed  medium  size  (3,133  per  pound),1  oblong  and  slightly  flattened;  seed  coat 
chocolate  brown  in  color;  hilum  chocolate  color;  cotyledons  yellow. 

Peking 

Adaptation. — A  selection  made  in  1907  from  the  Meyer,  which  was  intro- 
duced from  Peking,  China,  by  U.S.D.A.  in  1906.  A  medium  to  medium-late 
(120-day)  bean  of  a  hay  type  growing  well  on  practically  all  soil  types;  probably 
the  best  hay  bean  yet  tested  and  also  excellent  for  growing  in  corn  for  silage 
purposes.  Is  too  late  for  safe  seed  production  except  in  south-central  and  south- 
ern Illinois;  suitable  for  hay,  however,  in  all  parts  of  the  state. 

Plant  and  Seed  Characters. — Plants  slender,  erect,  bushy;  stems  and  leaves 
small;  pubescence  tawny;  flowers  both  purple  and  white;  pods  tawny  and  well 
distributed  along  the  stems;  seed  small  (6,014  per  pound),  much  flattened;  seed 
coat  glossy  black;  hilum  dull  black;  cotyledons  yellow. 

Sherwood 

Adaptation. — Introduced  by  U.S.D.A.  from  Tientsin,  China,  in  1906.  A 
medium  to  medium-late  (120-day)  hay  type  of  bean  which  seems  to  be  able  to 

'Furnished  by  .Morse. 


1928]  SOYBEAN  PRODUCTION  IN  ILLINOIS  525 

adjust  itself  to  soils  of  low  fertility.  Was  grown  at  Urbana  from  1910  to  1918 
with  a  fair  degree  of  success;  was  dropped  from  the  variety  trials  in  1918,  having 
averaged  somewhat  below  the  standard  for  the  period  of  time  under  test. 

Plant  and  Seed  Characters. — Plants  slender,  moderately  erect,  tips  drooping 
and  tending  to  twine ;  pubescence  gray ;  flowers  both  purple  and  white ;  seed  coat 
straw  yellow;  seed  medium  size,  elliptical,  slightly  flattened;  hilum  pale  or  light 
brown;  cotyledons  yellow. 

Virginia 

Adaptation. — A  selection  from  the  Morse  made  by  representatives  of  the 
U.S.D.A.  in  1907.  A  medium-late  (125-day)  bean  of  a  hay  type,  doing  unusually 
well  on  the  poorer  types  of  soil.  Is  too  late  for  dependable  seed  production  in 
central  Illinois  but  is  a  good  hay  variety  for  this  area.  Has  a  tendency  to  lodge 
badly  on  rich  soils  but  stands  much  better  on  the  poorer  soils,  giving  a  surpris- 
ingly large  yield  of  either  hay  or  seed  under  such  conditions. 

Plant  and  Seed  Characters. — Plants  slender,  twining;  leaves  medium  size; 
pubescence  tawny ;  flowers  purple ;  pods  tawny  and  distributed  thruout  the  length 
of  the  long,  slender  stem;  seed  medium-small  (4,092  per  pound),  oblong,  much 
flattened;  seed  coat  medal  bronze  (greenish  brown)  to  Prouts  brown  (dark  yel- 
lowish brown);  hilum  olive  brown;  cotyledons  yellow. 

Wea 

Adaptation. — Introduced  from  Shuangchenpu,  Manchuria,  by  UJ3.D.A.  in 
1911.  In  the  series  of  cooperative  trials  in  which  it  was  tried  out  it  was  found 
adapted  to  the  Wea  prairie  in  northern  Indiana  for  which  it  was  named.  Is  a 
medium-early  (110-day)  seed  type  of  bean  adapted  to  fertile  soils  of  the  northern 
half  of  the  state.  Probably  best  as  an  early,  seed-producing  bean  but  also  recog- 
nized as  having  merit  as  an  all-purpose  bean.  Stands  erect  and  holds  the  seed 
fairly  well,  thus  being  adapted  to  use  in  corn  for  hogging-off. 

Plant  and  Seed  Characters. — Plants  stout,  erect,  bushy;  leaves  medium  size; 
pubescence  gray;  flowers  purple;  pods  gray  and  clustered;  seed  medium-large 
(2,760  per  pound),  oblong,  and  somewhat  flattened;  seed  coat  cream  color,  mod- 
erately mottled  when  grown  at  Urbana;  hilum  Verona  brown  to  warm  sepia 
(brown  to  dark  brown) ;  cotyledons  yellow. 

Wilson 

This  is  the  mixed  population  out  of  which  the  Wilson  V  was  selected.  Is 
essentially  the  same  in  all  characters  as  Wilson  V  except  that  it  has  both  tawny 
and  gray  pubescence  and  both  purple  and  white  flowers.  There  is  also  consid- 
erable range  in  size,  and  the  shape  of  seed  varies  from  nearly  oblong  flat  to 
nearly  round.  Plants  also  vary  from  erect,  stout,  bushy,  to  slender  with  twining 
terminal. 

Wilson  V 

Adaptation. — A  pure-line  selection  of  the  Wilson  made  by  representatives 
of  the  UJ3.D.A.  in  1912.  Is  a  medium-late  (122-day)  bean  primarily  of  a  hay 
type,  doing  unusually  well  on  the  poorer  types  of  soil.  As  a  hay  bean  may  be 
grown  all  over  the  state;  as  a  seed  bean  it  makes  a  fair  yield  but  is  too  late  to 
be  dependable  north  of  the  Terre  Haute-St.  Louis  line. 

Plant  and  Seed  Characters. — Plants  slender,  medium-erect,  tending  to  twine 
slightly  at  the  tips;  pubescence  gray;  flowers  purple;  pods  gray  and  well  dis- 
tributed thruout  the  length  of  the  rather  long,  slender  stem;  seed  small  (5,162  per 
pound),  oblong,  and  much  flattened;  seed  coat  black;  hilum  black;  cotyledons 
yellow. 


526  BULLETIN  No.  310  [June, 

Wisconsin  Black 

Adaptation. — A  selection  made  at  the  University  of  Wisconsin  from  a 
variety  introduced  as  the  Early  Black  in  1898.1  An  early  maturing  (100-day) 
bean  primarily  of  a  seed  type,  seemingly  best  adapted  to  fertile  soils.  Suitable 
for  growing  with  early  corn  for  hogging-off  where  an  early  type  of  bean  is  re- 
quired. Too  early  for  and  seemingly  not  well  suited  to  central  Illinois. 

Plant  and  Seed  Characters. — Plants  medium  erect,  bushy;  stems  small; 
leaves  medium  size;  pubescence  tawny;  flowers  purple;  pods  brown  and  well 
distributed  along  the  stem;  seed  medium-large  (2,839  per  pound),  oblong,  slightly 
flattened;  seed  coat  black;  hilum  dull  purplish  black;  cotyledons  yellow. 


COMMERCIAL  UTILIZATION  OF  THE  SOYBEAN  CROP 

The  soybean,  during  its  early  history  under  corn-belt  conditions, 
was  considered  primarily  a  forage  or  hay  plant.  Difficulties  in  har- 
vesting the  seed,  lack  of  information  regarding  satisfactory  methods  of 
threshing,  and  the  cost  of  threshing  during  those  early  years  caused 
many  farmers  to  grow  the  crop  solely  for  hay.  As  a  result,  the  early 
studies  of  the  experiment  stations  were  concerned  with  the  value  of 
soybean  hay  as  compared  with  other  common  hays. 

The  utilization  of  native-grown  soybeans  in  the  commerce  of 
North  America  is  practically  an  untouched  field.  American  manufac- 
turers have  almost  unlimited  possibilities  with  this  crop.  That  the 
Orient  has  learned  to  appreciate  the  value  of  the  soybean  is  evidenced 
by  the  fact  that  more  than  one  hundred  soybean  products  are  known 
in  China,  Japan,  India,  and  Manchuria.  It  is  certainly  reasonable  to 
expect  that  under  American  conditions  and  with  the  initiative  of 
American  manufacturers,  many  new  products  will  be  developed. 

A  few  of  the  more  important  soybean  products  have  gradually 
found  a  place  on  the  market  in  this  country.  Soybean  cake  or  meal, 
flour,  oil,  and  soy  sauce  have  been  available  for  some  time.  Until 
comparatively  recently,  however,  these  products  were  of  oriental 
manufacture  or  were  made  from  imported  seed,  which  in  many  cases 
was  of  an  inferior  quality  when  received  here,  thus  limiting  their  use. 
Fresh  products  from  native-grown  beans  are  now  available  and  are 
being  eagerly  studied  and  used  in  increasing  amounts. 

During  the  last  five  years  several  soybean  processing  plants  have 
been  built.  Three  different  processes,  or  methods,  of  oil  extraction  are 
now  employed  in  these  manufacturing  plants.  The  products  from  each 
of  these  processes  are  being  investigated  and  the  relative  value  of  the 
oil  for  various  uses  more  definitely  ascertained. 

The  oldest  type  of  processing  is  that  in  which  the  ordinary  hy- 
draulic press  is  used  to  extract  the  oil.  The  meal  obtained  by  this 
method  is  commonly  referred  to  by  farmers,  in  speaking  of  one  of  the 


'Furnished  by  Morse. 


1928} 


SOYBEAN  PRODUCTION  IN  ILLINOIS 


527 


standard  concentrates,  as  "old  process."  This  same  process  is  widely 
used  in  the  cotton  belt  for  cottonseed  oil  extraction. 

The  screw  type  of  expeller  is  a  modified  press  in  which  the  heated 
beans  are  ground  and  compressed  at  one  operation.  The  other  type  of 
processing  which  has  recently  received  considerable  attention  in  the 
corn  belt  is  the  solvent  method,  by  which  the  oil  is  extracted  from  the 
ground  beans  by  means  of  some  chemical  solvent,  such  as  naphtha, 
benzol,  or  ether.  The  oil-laden  solvent  is  then  collected,  distilled,  and 
recondensed,  leaving  as  a  residue  the  extracted  oil. 

Soybean  Cake  One  of  the  Most  Valuable  Products 

The  cake  or  meal  is  the  bulkiest  and,  thus  far,  one  of  the  most 
valuable  products  of  the  processing  operation.  The  oil,  which  is  fre- 
quently spoken  of  as  the  chief  product,  will  seldom  equal  in  value  the 
meal  from  a  given  amount  of  beans.  An  average  ton  of  soybeans  will 
yield  approximately  250  pounds  of  oil  and  1,600  pounds  of  cake  or 
meal  by  the  ordinary  expeller  or  compress  method.  There  is  usually 


TABLE  27. — PERCENTAGE  COMPOSITION  OF  THREE  NITROGENOUS  CONCENTRATES9* 


Concentrate 

Protein 

Fat 

Extract 

Fibre 

Ash 

Water 

Soybean  oil  meal  

43.2 

6.6 

29.5 

5.3 

4.9 

10.5 

Cottonseed  meal  

44  1 

9  1 

25  0 

8  1 

6.2 

7.5 

Linseed  meal  (old  process)  .  .  . 

33.9 

7.5 

35.7 

8.4 

5.4 

9.1 

approximately  a  150-pound  loss  per  ton  in  moisture  reduction  and 
other  milling  losses.  Figured  on  these  proportions  and  on  average 
market  prices  during  1924  and  1925,  the  meal  from  a  given  quantity 
of  beans  is  approximately  one-third  more  valuable  than  the  oil. 

The  milling  value,  and  indirectly  the  composition  or  feeding  value 
of  soybean  oil  meal,  varies  somewhat  with  the  variety  of  bean  pro- 
cessed, the  soil  on  which  the  beans  are  grown,  and  the  method  of  ex- 
traction. Some  varieties  average  22  percent  of  oil,  while  others  run 
as  low  as  16  to  17  percent.  The  average  of  common  varieties  is  ap- 
proximately 19  percent.  In  general,  as  the  fertility  of  the  soil  is  in- 
creased, the  yield  of  beans  and  the  percentage  of  protein  increase,  while 
the  oil  content  is  correspondingly  reduced.  Observations  at  the  Uni- 
versity of  Illinois  indicate  that  beans  grown  on  sweet  soil  will  be  higher 
in  protein  and  lower  in  oil  than  the  same  variety  grown  on  sour  soil. 
The  amount  of  the  oil  recovered  will  vary  with  the  variety  processed, 
since  some  varieties  seem  to  release  the  oil  more  readily  than  others. 

The  comparative  composition  of  soybean  oil  meal  and  the  two 
feeds  with  which  it  is  most  frequently  compared,  cottonseed  oil  meal 
and  linseed  meal,  is  given  in  Table  27. 

Soybean  oil  meal  has  been  found  to  be  an  excellent  commercial 
nitrogenous  concentrate.  Unfortunately  a  comparatively  small  amount 


528  BULLETIN  No.  310  [June, 

of  this  product  has  been  available  for  feeding  trials  because  the  in- 
creasing acreage  has  annually  required  the  bulk  of  the  harvested 
beans  for  seed. 

Market  for  Soybean  Oil  Increasing 

Soybean  oil  is  gradually  making  a  place  for  itself  in  American 
commerce.  The  imported  product  available  to  American  manufac- 
turers was  in  some  respects  of  a  lower  quality  than  the  native  product 
now  available.  It  will  no  doubt  take  a  few  years  to  overcome  some  of 
the  prejudices  against  soybean  oil  which  have  arisen  out  of  experience 
with  the  imported  product.  Much  of  the  oil  from  the  Orient  was 
crudely  manufactured  and  slowly  transported  from  the  inland  points 
to  seaboard.  These  conditions  naturally  tended  to  increase  the  likeli- 
hood of  the  oil  becoming  rancid.  Consequently  much  of  the  imported 
soybean  oil  in  recent  years  found  its  way  into  low-grade  soap  stocks. 

Thru  processing  native-grown  beans  in  American  plants  it  is  now 
possible  to  place  on  the  market  an  entirely  different  product,  many 
outlets  for  which  have  already  been  found.  Soybean  oil  can  be  em- 
ployed in  the  manufacture  of  paints,  enamels,  varnishes,  linoleum, 
soap  stocks,  rubber  substitutes,  glue,  celluloid,  printers'  ink,  glycerine, 
explosives,  lighting  and  lubricating  oils,  as  well  as  various  food  pro- 
ducts. This  list  will  no  doubt  be  materially  lengthened  as  native  oil 
becomes  more  plentiful  and  manufacturers  are  assured  of  a  regular 
supply  of  beans.  As-  an  illustration  of  new  uses,  and  therefore  in- 
creased demands  for  the  soybean  oil,  one  manufacturer  has  recently 
announced  the  perfecting  of  a  new  core  oil  from  this  source  for  use  in 
foundry  operations. 

Soybean  Products  as  Human  Food 

The  soybean  has  for  centuries  been  an  essential  part  of  the  diet 
of  the  Chinese  and  Japanese  people.  The  high  protein  content  of  the 
bean  has  enabled  them  to  use  it  largely  as  a  meat  substitute.  In  fact 
one  authority  says:2*  "The  soybean  is  the  only  legume  yet  known 
which  can  really  be  called  a  true  meat  substitute,  the  proteins  being 
more  nearly  like  animal  proteins  than  those  of  any  other  vegetable." 
Other  beans  and  leguminous  seeds  when  used  in  the  human  diet  can 
be  classed  as  meat  savers  only.  With  the  soybean,  therefore,  to  supply 
the  protein  portion  of  the  diet  and  the  rice  a  favorite  carbohydrate 
food,  the  Orientals  have  been  able  to  live  very  cheaply  on  an  almost 
exclusively  vegetable  diet.  The  Orient  has  devised  many  dishes  from 
soybeans,  the  beans  being  used  in  all  conditions — fresh,  dried,  and 
fermented. 

Soybean  Oil. — Among  food  products,  soybean  oil  has  been  used 
as  salad  oil  and  as  a  substitute  for  butter  and  lard.  The  use  of  the 
oil  in  salad  and  cooking  was  practically  unknown  in  this  country  be- 


1928]  SOYBEAN  PRODUCTION  IN  ILLINOIS  529 

fore  the  advent  of  local  factories  processing  native  beans.  The  fact 
that  the  composition  of  soybean  oil  more  nearly  approaches  that  of 
animal  fat  than  does  any  other  vegetable  fat  would  seem  to  presage 
a  great  and  growing  interest  in  this  product. 

Soybean  Flour. — Tho  not  yet  a  common  commodity,  soybean  flour 
is  perhaps  one  of  the  oldest  soybean  products  on  the  American  market. 
It  has  been  used  for  many  years  in  the  manufacture  of  food  products 
for  diabetic  persons,  where  a  special  food  of  low  starch  content  is  re- 
quired. It  has  also  been  found  to  have  wide  adaptation  in  general 
invalid  and  infant  dietetics.  Soybean  flour  made  by  grinding  the  cake 
or  meal  after  the  oil  has  been  removed  is  gaining  favor  and  many 
potential  users  are  becoming  interested  in  it.  Extensive  trials  by  the 
Home  Economics  Department  of  the  University  of  Illinois,  by  various 
other  schools  and  departments  of  home  economics,  as  well  as  by  the 
U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture,  have  shown  that  soybean  flour  can 
be  successfully  utilized  in  making  bread,  gems,  muffins,  biscuits, 
wafers,  and  crackers.  The  soybean  flour  utilized  in  this  way  is  usually 
substituted  for  approximately  one-fourth  of  the  wheat  flour  in  the 
recipe. 

Dry  Soybeans. — These  can  also  be  used  for  human  food  in  much 
the  same  manner  as  navy  and  other  dry  beans.  Palatability  and  ease 
of  cooking  vary  with  different  varieties,  but  the  flavor,  while  distinctly 
different  from  that  of  other  beans,  is  not  distasteful,  and  the  dishes 
made  from  soybeans  are  usually  very  palatable.  Light-colored  beans, 
yellows  and  greens,  are  as  a  rule  best  for  human  food,  since  the 
varieties  with  darker  seed  coats  have  a  stronger  and  less  pleasant 
taste.  The  texture  of  the  soybean  as  a  rule  is  more  compact  than  that 
of  the  navy  or  common  garden  bean,  making  the  soybean  somewhat 
more  difficult  to  cook.  The  variety  Easy  Cook,  introduced  by  the 
U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture,  has  been  found  to  cook  as  readily  as 
navy  beans  after  the  customary  pre-soaking.  Soybeans  should  be 
soaked  thoroly  for  at  least  12  hours  before  being  cooked.  After  soak- 
ing and  boiling,  the  beans  can  be  baked  or  used  in  bean  soup  or  in 
other  dishes  in  place  of  other  dry  beans. 

Dry  soybeans  have  also  been  used  as  substitutes  for  salted  pea- 
nuts and  for  coffee.  When  prepared  as  a  substitute  for  peanuts,  the 
dry  seed  is  first  soaked  in  a  10-percent  salt  solution  for  ten  or  twelve 
hours  and  then  roasted  to  a  light  brown  color.  Yellow  and  green  seeded 
varieties  are  preferred,  as  they  make  a  better  appearing  and  more 
palatable  dish. 

Soybean  "coffee"  is  made  by  grinding  beans  which  have  been 
roasted  and  prepared  in  the  same  manner  as  the  coffee  bean.    Soybean" 
coffee  is  reported22*  to  have  been  used  in  the  United  States  during  the 
Civil  War  as  a  coffee  substitute.    In  the  Orient  this  is  a  commercial 
product  and  can  be  purchased  on  the  market. 


530  BULLETIN  No.  310  [June, 

Immature  or  Green  Soybeans. — Beans  in  the  green  stage  are 
nutritious  and  palatable.  When  about  three-fourths  grown  they  make 
an  appetizing  and  excellent  food  if  shelled  and  cooked  like  lima  or 
other  green  beans.  The  pods  are  tough  and  not  desirable  for  human 
food,  and  to  facilitate  their  removal  should  be  boiled  for  5  or  10 
minutes,  then  cooled  and  shelled.  Further  utilization  of  soybeans  as 
a  commercial  canning  crop  will  depend  somewhat  upon  the  production 
of  satisfactory  varieties.  One  or  two  varieties  have  thus  far  been  in- 
troduced which  seem  to  be  promising,  Easy  Cook  and  Hahto  offering 
the  best  prospects  thus  far. 

There  is  undoubtedly  a  great  opportunity  to  make  more  general 
use  of  the  soybean  as  a  human  food.  All  attempts  to  so  use  it  have 
thus  far  demonstrated  its  value.  The  chief  reasons  for  the  delay  in 
introducing  the  soybean  and  its  products  into  the  American  diet  seem 
to  be  the  inability,  until  recently,  to  get  fresh  material,  the  uncertainty 
from  year  to  year  as  to  the  availability  of  seed  for  processing,  and  the 
natural  reluctance  of  any  race  to  change  its  dietetic  habits. 

EARLY  HISTORY  OF  SOYBEAN  PRODUCTION  IN  ILLINOIS. — The  first  published 
records  pertaining  to  the  production  of  soybeans  at  the  Illinois  Station  are  for 
1897.  These  trials  were  mainly  to  ascertain  the  general  adaptation  of  the  crop 
rather  than  to  study  types  or  strains.  Variety  studies  as  such  started  in  1906. 
More  than  200  varieties  and  strains  have  been  tried  out,  but  many  proved  un- 
satisfactory and  were  retained  but  one  year.  Only  two  of  the  original  varieties, 
Ebony  and  Ito  San  (Medium  Early  Yellow),  are  still  commercially  important  in 
Illinois. 

Soybean  production  on  Illinois  farms  apparently  antedates  the  variety  work 
at  the  Station.  J.  C.  Utter,  Mt.  Carmel,  began  growing  beans  in  1890.  W.  H. 
Stoddard,  in  a  paper  before  the  Macoupin  County  Farmers'  Institute  in  Decem- 
ber, 1898,  reported  several  years'  experience  with  the  crop.  C.  A.  Rowe,  Jack- 
sonville, began  to  grow  the  crop  in  1899.  Ralph  Allen,  Delavan,  and  Frank 
Hurrelbrink,  Taylorville,  were  also  among  the  early  growers. 

Pioneer  growers  were  located  in  central,  south-central,  and  southern  Illinois. 
In  these  areas  production  made  considerable  progress  before  any  significant  acre- 
age was  noted  in  northern  Illinois.  In  fact,  not  until  after  1919  did  the  acreage 
in  the  northern  portion  of  the  state  make  any  appreciable  gain.  Since  that  date 
the  acreage  has  steadily  increased,  and  much  greater  production  can  be  predicted 
now  that  earlier  maturing  varieties  are  available. 


1928]  SOYBEAN  PRODUCTION  IN  ILLINOIS  531 


LITERATURE  CITED 

1.  BLAUSER,  I.  P.     Reducing  grain  losses  in  threshing.    111.  Agr.  Exp.  Sta.  Circ. 

311.    1926. 

2.  BOYS,  JESSE  A.    Wartime  conservation.    N.  Y.  State  Food  Com.  and  Cornell 

Univ. 

3.  BROWN,  P.  E.,  AND  STALLINGS,  J.  H.    Inoculated  legumes  as  nitrogenous  fertil- 

izers.   Soil.  Sci.  12,  365-407.    1921. 

4.  EDMONDS,  J.  L.,  AND  CRAWFORD,  C.  W.    Soybean  hay  and  sweet-clover  pasture 

for  growing  purebred  draft  fillies.    111.  Agr.  Exp.  Sta.  Bui.  292.    1927. 

5.  EVVARD,   J.    M.,    CULBERTSON,    C.    C.,    HAMMOND,    W.    E.,   AND    HfiNNESS,    K.    K. 

Soybean  hay  for  fattening  lambs.    Iowa  Agr.  Exp.  Sta.  Bui.  234.    1926. 

6.  FAIRCHILD,  L.  H.,  AND  WILBUR,  J.  W.    Soybean  oil  meal  and  ground  soybeans 

as  protein  supplements  in  the  dairy  ration.    Ind.  Agr.  Exp.  Sta.  Bui.  289. 
1924. 

7.  HAYDEN,  C.  C.,  AND  PERKINS,  A.  E.    Soybeans  and  soybean  oil  meal  for  milk 

production.    Ohio  Agr.  Exp.  Sta.  Bimo.  Bui.  11,  137-141.    1926. 

8.  HENRY,  W.  A.,  AND  MORRISON,  F.  B.    Feeds  and  feeding.    728-729.    1923. 

9.  -  — .    Feeds  and  feeding.    711-712.     1923. 

10.  HUGHES,  H.  D.,  AND  WILKINS,  F.  S.    Soybeans  for  Iowa.    Iowa  Agr.  Exp. 

Sta.  Bui.  228.    1925. 

11.  111.  Agr.  Exp.  Sta.  Ann.  Rpts.:  36th,  54-55,  1922-23;  38th,  72-73,  74-76,  90, 

1924-25;  39th,  54-59,  66-67,  71-76,  89-90,  1925-26;  40th,  82-86,  101-102,  148- 
150,  1926-27. 

12.  KAMMLADE,  W.  G.,  AND  MACKEY,  A.  K.    The  soybean  crop  for  fattening  west- 

ern lambs.    111.  Agr.  Exp.  Sta.  Bui.  260.    1925. 

13.  KING,  F.  G.    Ground  soybeans  for  fattening  cattle.    Ind.  Agr.  Exp.  Sta.  Bui. 

237.    1920. 

14.  LEHMANN,  E.  W.,  AND  BLAUSER,  I.  P.     Combines  in  Illinois.     111.  Agr.  Exp. 

Sta.  Circ.  316.    1927. 

15.  McCANDLiSH,  A.  C.,  WEAVER,  E.,  AND  LUNDE,  L.  A.     Soybeans  as  a  home- 

grown supplement  for  dairy  cows.    Iowa  Agr.  Exp.  Sta.  Bui.  204.    1922. 

16.  METZGER,  J.  E.,  HOLMES,  M.  G.,  AND  BIERMAN,  H.    Soybeans — production, 

composition  and  feeding  value.    Md.  Agr.  Exp.  Sta.  Bui.  277.    1925. 

17.  MITCHELL,  H.  H.,  AND  VILLEGAS,  V.    Jour.  Dairy  Sci.  6,  222-236.    1923. 

18.  MOOERS,  C.  A.    Tenn.  Agr.  Exp.  Sta.  Bui.  82.    1908. 

19.  MOORE,  J.  S.,  AND  COWSERT,  W.  C.    Soybeans  for  dairy  cows.    Miss.  Agr.  Exp 

Sta.  Bui.  235.    1926. 

20.  Ohio  Agr.  Exp.  Sta.  44th  Ann.  Rpt,  53.    1924-25. 

21.  OLSON,  THOS.  M.    Soybeans  for  dairy  cows.    S.  Dak.  Agr.  Exp.  Sta.  Bui.  215. 

1925. 

22.  PIPER,  C.  V.,  AND  MORSE,  W.  J.    The  Soybean.    McGraw-Hill  Book  Co.    1923. 

23.  SMITH,  C.  D.,  AND  ROBISON,  F.  W.    Observations  on  the  influence  of  nodules 

on  the  roots  upon  the  composition  of  soybeans  and  cowpeas.    Mich.  Agr. 
Exp.  Sta.  Bui.  224.    1905. 

24.  THATCHER,  L.  E.    The  soybean  in  Ohio.    Ohio  Agr.  Exp.  Sta.  Bui.  384.    1925. 

25.  U.  S.  Dept.  Agr.  Statis.  Bui  15.     Prices  of  farm  products  received  by  pro- 

ducers.   1927. 

26.  WEAVER,  L.  A.    Hogging  down  corn  and  soybeans.    Mo.  Agr.  Exp.  Sta.  Bui. 

224.     1924. 


UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS-URBAN* 


